


Betting Against the House

by Mikauzoran



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Accidental Identity Reveal, Adrinette | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Aged-Up (17), Angst, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Bullying, Classmates form the Lila Containment Squad, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Support, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Happy Ending, Harassment, Identity Reveal, Imperfect but Trying Parents Tom and Sabine, Lady Noir - Freeform, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Love Confessions, Manipulative Lila Rossi, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Misunderstandings, One-Sided Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Lila Rossi, Pining, Supportive Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Supportive Nino Lahiffe, adrienette - Freeform, emotional blackmail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 25,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29249274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikauzoran/pseuds/Mikauzoran
Summary: For years Adrien has played Lila’s game in order to protect Marinette, but when Lila ups the ante and emotionally blackmails Adrien into fake-dating her, who will be there to protect Adrien? Marinette feels betrayed, Nino is worried, and if Chat Noir gives in and spills his guts to Ladybug who figures out his identity…who could blame him for cracking under pressure and falling back on his partner for support?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 570
Kudos: 566





	1. The New Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I’m Mikau. ^.^ For those of you who are new, it’s lovely to meet you! Special thanks to everyone who has read my work before and come back for more anyway. <3 Thanks so much for taking the time to check out this story. I really hope you enjoy it. ^.^
> 
> Shameless plug for my [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila lays out her terms, and Adrien feels he has no choice but to concede.

Adrien was changing back into his street clothes after an excruciatingly long photoshoot with his least favourite coworker when the door to his dressing room swung open without warning.

He jumped, quickly zipping up his pants with one hand and throwing his opposite arm across his torso to provide some modicum of cover.

“Lila, I’m getting dressed!” he protested as she closed the door behind her and leaned back against it, taking him in with roving eyes and a self-satisfied smirk.

“I know. I like to watch,” she laughed in that bell-like way that everyone thought was so charming as she leered at him, rubbing the side of her thumb back and forth over her bottom lip as her eyes traced every line and curve of him up and down.

He couldn’t contain a shudder of discomfort.

“It’s so cute how shy you are,” she chuckled. “We literally just spent _hours_ hanging all over each other in skimpy clothing for that summer wear shoot, and now you’re embarrassed for me to see you bare-chested?”

She pushed herself off of the door and sauntered over to run her fingers along his shoulders.

He stepped back, shrinking away from her touch. “Sorry. Could you not? I don’t really like being touched.”

This small act of rebellion clearly displeased Lila. Her olive eyes narrowed into a glare, and she strode forward, placing her palm flat on his chest like she owned it.

“You’d better get used to it, then,” she warned, all levity gone from her voice, “because I’ve been thinking. The media has been speculating about our relationship status for several years now, and I’ve decided that it’s time for us to officially start dating publicly.”

Adrien recoiled, pulling away until his back was pressed up against the mirror. “Sorry, but I don’t think so.”

“Too bad you don’t get a say in the matter,” she informed him with authority. “We’re dating now, and you can either do as I say or watch as I spread rumors about Marinette until everyone thinks she’s trash and no one wants to talk to her.”

“Lila,” Adrien hissed low in warning.

She clasped her hands in front of her chest and assumed the higher-pitched, innocent voice she often used when soliciting sympathy or agreement from others. “Because, you know, I’m so worried about Marinette lately. I overheard some of the basketball team members talking about seeing her out late in a skimpy little dress at this bar with a much older man.”

“ _Lila_ ,” Adrien repeated through gritted teeth, his fingers clenching into fists.

“You don’t think her family is having money trouble, do you?” Lila continued, batting her eyes and playing dumb as she feigned concern. “Has she said anything to anyone? It’s so easy for desperate young women to get into trouble, and I want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help, if she needs it. That’s what friends are for, am I right?”

“Lila, this is crossing a line,” he growled, standing his ground. “I’m not dating you. In fact, I think it’s time I told my father about your increasingly inappropriate behavior.”

“Try it, and I’ll go to the media about how _you’ve_ been taking advantage of me for years,” she retorted coolly with a shrug of the shoulder, always master of the situation. “I’ll tell them I didn’t say anything sooner because I wanted so badly to succeed in modeling, and if that was the price of success…”

He rolled his eyes. “You can’t touch me, Lila. I _am_ the _Gabriel_ brand. Try it, and my father will bury you. You’ll never work _anywhere_ again. Trust me. My father is a very petty, vengeful man.”

She held up her hands in surrender, conceding the point.

“Fair,” she agreed. “Maybe I can’t slander you personally, but there’s no one to protect poor Marinette. I can and _will_ burn her to the ground,” she promised. “Your father may like her now, but just wait until he hears about how Marinette’s been using you, making you fall in love with her so that she can get a leg up in the world.”

Adrien stiffened, a rush of fear streaming in.

He didn’t _think_ his father would turn on Marinette so easily, but…Adrien had seen Lila in action before, and the young woman was _very_ persuasive.

“You couldn’t protect her,” Lila snickered, crossing her arms with a venomous smirk. “If you tried to refute my claims, your father would just see how in love with her you are, and you’d only confirm her guilt in his mind, and Gabriel Agreste is a very powerful enemy, Adrien. As you say, he could keep her from working _anywhere_ if he wanted to.”

Adrien’s chest tightened, making it harder to breath as he tried to come up with a rebuttal to her logic.

“ _You_ may be untouchable, but Marinette isn’t,” she sang, seeing from the distressed look on his face that she had won. “Only _you_ can protect her, Adrien…so what will it be? You can give in now or watch me ruin her only for you to end up giving in later. Which do you prefer?”

His shoulders slumped, and he looked away, muttering, “Fine. Just don’t push your luck on the PDA because I _really_ don’t like being touched, and someone’s bound to notice that it looks like I’m under duress,” he warned in what he knew deep down to be a futile attempt to set boundaries.

“Noted,” she hummed generously, watching as he retrieved his shirt and pulled it on. “So long as you know that no one would believe you if you told them. Everyone knows that any seventeen-year-old boy would kill for the attentions of a beautiful, Italian model like me. No one would believe that you were the victim here.”

He kept his gaze down as he re-rolled the sleeves of his overshirt into cuffs. “…Why do you even want to date me anyway?” he wondered sulkily. “It’s not like we’re really friends. I mean, we’ve never actually gotten to know one another because everything out of your mouth is a lie, and it’s not like we’ve ever had scintillating conversations for you to observe my quick wit or charming personality. I honestly don’t get what you see in me.”

She snorted at his naiveite, going back to leaning and crossing her arms as she watched him get dressed. “You’re a fool if you think anyone will ever be interested in you for your mind or your personality.”

Adrien flinched, wounded by the way that she laughed at his romantic idealism.

“People are only ever going to want you for your money, your body, or your influence,” she informed matter-of-factly.

He wanted to tell her she was wrong, but…he’d been one hundred percent himself around Ladybug and Marinette, and neither of them seemed interested in him romantically. Meanwhile, hordes of fangirls were just lining up for him to autograph their bosoms because they idolized the public image he projected as the face of the _Gabriel_ brand.

“My particular aim is to use your influence to get a leg up in the world,” she confessed, and he found it ironic that _she_ was the one guilty of something she was all too ready and willing to accuse Marinette of.

“You’re useful for getting my name out there and opening metaphorical doors to future opportunities,” she continued to talk about him like he was an object without feelings, meant only to be used until he was used up.

It reminded him of the way his father talked about him, and that added an extra sting because it made him think that if he were to go to his father about what was happening, Gabriel would only scoff and blame Adrien for getting himself into such a mess in the first place.

He could easily conjure his father’s voice saying that Adrien deserved what he was going through because Adrien hadn’t been smart or strong or clever enough. He could imagine his father berating him for being weak and letting his feelings for someone trap him.

Gabriel might believe Adrien, but he wouldn’t do anything to save him.

“It also doesn’t hurt that you’re a nice piece of eye candy,” Lila laughed, clearly enjoying herself and luxuriating in her victory. “Plus, it’ll make some of my rivals jealous, and I just _feed_ off of their envy,” she chortled.

Adrien looked up at her with a frown, utterly baffled by her behavior, not for the first time. “Why are you like this? Why can’t you ever just…I don’t know. Tell the truth? Be nice to people? Try to work your way up in the world through effort and perseverance?”

Lila’s laughter stopped as her brow creased and her eyes narrowed. “What? You mean like _Marinette_?” she scoffed, giving her hair an indignant toss. “Adrien, you live in such a fantasy world. I would have thought your father had taught you better.”

Adrien tried not to let her see how her words cut him. He didn’t want her to think she had any kind of power over him when it was really only that she sounded so much like his father that it almost felt like Gabriel himself delivering the admonishment.

“I am the way I am because that’s how people actually succeed. The goody-goody path doesn’t work,” she asserted, and he wanted to ask her if she had ever tried it.

“Soft-hearted people like you might not like it, but you’ll see when you grow up and open your eyes that I’m right. I know what I want, and I’m willing to do whatever I need to do to get it. Maybe you think that makes me a bad person,” she allowed, “but I’m not. I’m just living in the real world. Soon you’ll realize that this is what life is really like. You’ll see that I’m right. I am the way I am because people like me are the only ones who win.”

“I hope you’re wrong,” he whispered at the end of her diatribe.

She gave her hair another flip and turned on her heel. “Keep dreaming, then. In the meantime, let’s get a move on. You’re giving me a ride to school. If we leave now, we can make it back by the end of the lunch break, and that will be the perfect time to announce to everyone that we’re officially dating.”

Adrien shuddered but didn’t protest as he followed her out of the dressing room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it. What did you think? I hope the first chapter was interesting and that you’re excited to see where this goes. ^.^
> 
> I’ve decided that updates will be Saturday and Wednesday, so I’ll see you again on Wednesday, 02/10/2021. Take care, everyone, and thank you for reading.
> 
> Be sure to leave me a comment to let me know what you thought because I’m really anxious to know. ^.^;


	2. Playing the Role

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The curtain rises, and the actors play their parts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope your week is going well so far. I’m having a bit of a hard time myself. I really want to thank everyone for the strong response to the first chapter. Thank you for your comments and your bookmarks and your kudos. I was debating whether to write this story or not because I didn’t know if anyone would want to read it, so I was really happy when so many people reacted positively to it.
> 
> Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy Chapter Two!
> 
> Shameless plug for my [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/). ^.^

“You’d better make this look good.” Lila whispered the threat and threaded her arm through Adrien’s as they approached the classroom door just a handful of minutes before the final bell signaling the end of lunch was due to ring.

“I know you’re a good actor,” she continued in a quiet, level voice that somehow still managed to have a dangerous, lethal edge to it. “Make sure you look happy.”

“How about sheepish?” he suggested, mentally steeling himself for what he was about to put himself through. “I’m kind of shy and often keep things private. I think it would be more realistic for my character to be embarrassed.”

“So long as you give them all the impression that our dating is _good_ news for you,” she stressed, short of patience. “Don’t step on the toes of my artistic vision. Your character is utterly smitten with me.”

Adrien took a long, slow inhale, tramping down the desire to fight. “Right. Got it.”

“I want you to walk me to my seat,” she instructed. “Once you drop me off, do that thing you’re always doing to Marinette.”

“What thing?” he inquired as she slipped her satchel off of her shoulder and shoved it at him, ordering, “Here. Carry this. Are you a gentleman or aren’t you?”

_“Why should I be when you’re no lady?”_ he wondered ungenerously but obediently took her bag and looped it over his left shoulder along with his own.

“The thing where you take her hand and bow over it and kiss the back of it,” she clarified, knowing it would break her rival’s heart and maybe get Marinette or Chloé akumatized into the bargain.

Adrien’s heart sank, and his stomach soured at the thought of bestowing a romantic gesture he had thereto reserved only for his Lady and his Princess on _Lila_ of all people.

Lila turned her head to glare menacingly, her grey-green eyes flashing as they bore into him. “Am I understood?”

“Yes, Lila,” he muttered as they came to the classroom door.

She pinched his arm. “Smile. It’s showtime.”

Almost on instinct, a practiced grin slid into place, plastering over the helplessness and the misery he was feeling.

He was used to covering up his true emotions and showing people what they wanted to see. After all, he’d been doing it for as long as he could remember. His father reprimanded him for his outbursts of temper, so he’d learned to bottle it up and smile. His mother had been upset by his tears, so he’d learned to cry on the inside instead.

Now, Marinette’s future and happiness depended on his ability to outwardly express elation he didn’t feel, so he would manufacture it and fool them all.

He could do that. She was worth it.

“Ready when you are, Ma Fleur,” he decreed with a smirk and a signature wink.

The grin that spread across Lila’s lips was nearly manic with glee.

“Good,” she purred in satisfaction. “ _Very_ good.”

Their classmates were congregated in loose clumps around the classroom, leisurely making their way back to their seats at the end of lunch when Adrien opened the door.

He bowed Lila through ahead of him with a playful, “Ladies first,” and, once he followed her and was back at her side, she slipped her hand into his.

“Everyone, you’ll never guess what happened,” she announced with a squeal of barely contained excitement, her right foot kicking up in her joy.

The varied discussions came to a stop, and the class turned their heads as one.

“What happened?” Alya inquired on the behalf of all.

Once Lila was certain she had everyone’s undivided attention, she let the bomb drop: “Adrien finally asked me out!”

Rose and Mylène rushed up to congratulate Lila and gush over her good news. Juleka and Alix followed soon after.

Some of the guys came up and started congratulating Adrien, giving him playful shoves and thumping him on the back or ruffling his hair, telling him how lucky he was.

He did his best to smile and laugh sheepishly, to look embarrassed yet happy.

Some classmates were notably absent from the fray: Nathaniel was busy sketching, seemingly unaware of the scene playing out at the front of the classroom, and Sabrina was trying to comfort a screeching Chloé who was outraged at the news and practically foaming at the mouth. Nino, Alya, and Marinette were also missing.

Adrien made the mistake of looking in the direction of his closest friends.

Nino was sitting at their table looking mystified while Alya stood in the aisle next to Marinette, her hand resting comfortingly on her best friend’s shoulder and a conflicted look on her face.

Marinette sat at her desk staring poisoned blades at Adrien. Her expression was frigid, but her eyes screamed hurt, betrayal, and repulsion.

He could read the disgust and condemnation in her gaze clearly, and it made him want to drop the farce and defend himself to her.

He considered taking her aside and explaining that evening when he was over at her house with Alya and Nino for their game night, but then his better judgment kicked in and told him that was impossible.

If Marinette knew what Adrien was doing to protector her—what he _had_ been doing for her sake for three years now—she would never accept it. She’d be furious and demand that he denounce Lila publicly. When he told her he couldn’t because it would cause a fuss and upset his father, she would go on the warpath herself.

And no one would believe her. It would just look to them like jealousy. They would write it off just like all the other times Marinette had tried over the years to open their eyes to Lila’s duplicity.

Marinette would fail, and Lila would win, and nothing would change. Marinette’s life would be ruined, and it would be all Adrien’s fault because he’d selfishly decided to clear his name to preserve Marinette’s opinion of him instead of doing the right thing and protecting her.

No. Adrien would just have to grin and bear Marinette’s accusatory gaze and lie when she inevitably interrogated him as to how he could be with a lying, conniving snake like Lila.

He reminded himself that this was about Marinette, not him, so let her hate him. So long as she had friends and her reputation intact. So long as she went to a good university and advanced in her career. So long as Lila didn’t steal her chances at success and making her dreams come true.

He forced himself to look away and smile as Ivan offered him warm congratulations and Alix gave him a teasing elbow in the ribs.

Meanwhile, Nino was beyond confused and somewhat seriously considering that his best friend had been abducted by body snatchers.

Adrien did _not_ like Lila. At all.

Sure, he was civil towards her, and as much as Nino had heard Lila go on about how sweet and flirty Adrien was with her, Nino had always assumed that she’d read too much into the fact that Adrien was painfully nice to _everyone_. He was a natural flirt and treated everyone with respect and compassion, so Nino could understand how Lila might think that he was only that way with her and see romantic overtures where there were none, but…

What was transpiring in front of Nino’s very eyes made absolutely no sense to Adrien’s best friend who knew for certain that Adrien was stupid (keyword _stupid_ ) in love with Marinette.

“I’m so sorry, Sweetie,” Nino heard Alya whispering to the true object of Adrien’s affections in the row behind him.

“I know it’s rough, but…try to focus on being his friend and being happy for him,” Alya coaxed. “It’ll get easier with time. I mean, we’ve all been able to see this coming for years now. They’ve just got so much chemistry. It was bound to happen, and we all knew that.”

Nino twisted in his seat to quirk an eyebrow at his girlfriend. “Chemistry? What chemistry are you talking about, Al? You mean when they act like [ions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion) who both have positive charges and repel one another? Because normally Adrien wants nothing to do with Lila if he can help it. I think you’ve been looking at too many pictures from those photoshoots they do together.”

Alya was about to respond when Miss Bustier came into the classroom to start the Literature lesson and urged her pupils to return to their seats.

The class watched as Adrien gallantly escorted Lila to her desk at the back of the room. He returned her satchel and, on his way back to his own place, caught her hand in his own, bowing as he brought it up to his lips.

“Have a nice class, Ma Fleur,” he whispered loud enough to be overheard. “I’ll miss you.”

“Not as much as I’ll miss you, My Prince,” Lila returned with saccharine sweetness, batting her eyes at him and blowing him a kiss.

There was much cooing (particularly from Rose) as Adrien made his way back to his seat at the front.

Nino stared at his friend expectantly as Adrien sank down onto the bench beside him and let out a barely audible sigh of exhaustion.

Nino arched an eyebrow as he noted the subtle ways in which Adrien dropped the act.

He kept a soft smile on his lips and a positive expression on his face, but the feelings didn’t reach Adrien’s eyes. Adrien eyes looked dull and tired.

“Mec,” Nino whispered meaningfully as Miss Bustier turned to write “[Transcendentalism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism)” on the board.

“Hm?” Adrien hummed in response, pointedly not meeting Nino’s gaze.

“What the heck is up with you and Lila?” Nino demanded, still baffled by what he had witnessed.

“We’re dating now,” Adrien replied in a perfect neutral. “Aren’t you happy for me?”

“I would be if _you_ were happy about it,” Nino snorted quietly. “But you don’t like Lila.”

“…Of course I do.” The careful smile subtly slipped from Adrien’s lips as he answered. “Why would I date a girl I didn’t like?”

Nino pursed his lips, growing irritated by Adrien’s evasiveness.

They were best friends. They were supposed to be able to tell one another anything, no matter what, without fear of judgment. Why was Adrien dodging his questions on this?

“…That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Nino grumbled, keeping his voice down. “Why don’t _you_ tell _me_?”

“…Not right now,” Adrien sighed, his shoulders sagging with the weight of his charade.

“…Okay,” Nino reluctantly relented, giving Adrien’s shoulder an affectionate bump with his own as he slipped a small, plastic-wrapped cube of pistachio-flavored [halva](https://www.mashed.com/272783/what-is-halva-and-what-does-it-taste-like/) into Adrien’s hand. “Later.”

“Thanks,” Adrien whispered, heart filling with gratitude for his friend as he snuck the sweet into his mouth and let it melt.

That small, thoughtful act of sharing a homemade treat made Adrien feel less alone, and it gave him the strength he needed to get through the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think some explanation of Marinette’s reaction is in order. Some of you may be wondering how she can believe that Adrien would actually date Lila because we as viewers see how she treats him, but Marinette isn’t privy to that knowledge. From what she sees, over the past three years, Adrien has consistently refused to confront Lila and expose her. Adrien has remained on friendly terms with Lila despite knowing what she did and continues to do to Marinette and how Lila deceives others. Marinette doesn’t know that Adrien is only going along with Lila because he thinks he’s protecting Marinette. Adrien has never explained the true nature of his “friendship” with Lila, so Marinette doesn’t know that it’s all an arrangement. She’s confused as to how Adrien could date someone like Lila knowing full well what she’s like, but that hasn’t stopped Adrien from being friends with Lila all these years and taking her to events as his plus one, so Marinette has little reason to question the legitimacy of Lila and Adrien’s relationship. I hope that helps Marinette’s reaction make more sense.
> 
> I’m kind of worried that the ending to all this is going to be too anticlimactic for some people. ^.^; A lot of people in the comments seemed ready to lynch Lila. That was actually kind of unsettling. I didn’t expect all the hate and the violence. I based this story on my own experiences with being bullied, and I ended the story how I would have liked my own experience to resolve. I hope it doesn’t end up being disappointing. I constantly worry about disappointing people. ^.^;
> 
> Anyway. I hope you enjoyed Chapter Two. Thank you for reading, everyone. Drop me a comment because I’d love to know what you thought. ^.^ I’ll see you again Saturday, 02/13/2021. Take care!
> 
> Translation Notes:   
> Ma Fleur means “my flower”. Lila’s name means “lilac”, so it’s just a simple word association nickname.
> 
> "Mec" is French slang for guy/dude/bro/mate. Like, as in, “That mec stole my parking space!” or “Hey, Mec. What’s up?” I don't use "dude" instead of "mec" most of the time because constant use of "dude" sounds really California surfer/stoner to me, and that's not Nino's character in the show at all. Nino typically uses "mec" or "mon/ma pote", so I tend to use those a lot when writing him.
> 
> References:  
> Ion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion  
> Transcendentalism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism  
> Halva: https://www.mashed.com/272783/what-is-halva-and-what-does-it-taste-like/


	3. Cracks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino presses Adrien for an explanation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you're all doing well. I'd like to send out a special "take care" to everyone in Japan affected by the earthquake. Stay safe. <3
> 
> Thank you very much to everyone who has continued to support this story with comments, kudos, bookmarks, and recommendations. I appreciate you guys so much! ^.^
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chapter Three!

After what seemed an interminable number of hours, the end of school bell finally rang, freeing the pupils from their captive state.

Adrien breathed a soft sigh of relief as he began to pack up his things. After the day he’d had with an even earlier start that normal for the photoshoot and then dealing with Lila’s shenanigans, he was ready to hang out and play video and board games with his friends while snacking on Tom and Sabine’s divine delicacies.

“Oh, Adrien,” Lila sang as she came practically skipping down the stairs to stand in the aisle beside his desk. “Ready for our date, My Prince?”

Adrien stared at her for a moment, blinking dumbly. “Date? …Wait. _Now_?”

“Mmhm.” She nodded, smiling sweetly. “Let’s go get coffee at that [cute little café](https://assacafe.com/en/) you mentioned the other day. The Japanese fusion place? I want to try the green tea tiramisu.”

Adrien gawked at her, surprised that she remembered the specifics of a conversation he’d had the week before with one of the other models, Elise.

He shook off his stupor and replied in a tone that he hoped sounded sincere. “Lila, I’m really sorry, but I already have plans to hang out with Marinette, Nino, and Alya tonight. Can we maybe go to the café together tomorrow?”

Lila batted her eyes in a factitious show of confusion before asking in a quavering, almost tearful voice, “Adrien…are you saying that you’d rather spend time with your friends than with me?”

Most eyes in the classroom turned to stare outright (if not, then, surreptitiously), awaiting Adrien’s response.

“No, of course not,” he hurriedly assured lest he be tarred and feathered and burned at the stake.

“You don’t have to worry, Lila,” Marinette unexpectedly spoke up from the row behind.

Adrien turned to face her in surprise, his eyebrow quirking in a silent plea for an explanation.

“It’s clear that Adrien has chosen you over his friends.” Marinette addressed her assertion to Lila but spat the words at Adrien, her eyes flaming with hurt, anger, and accusations of betrayal.

Adrien averted his gaze, shame blazing across his cheeks as he wished he could just tell her the truth.

“You should go have fun with your girlfriend,” Marinette huffed, turning on her heel and pushing past Lila to storm out of the classroom.

Adrien watched her go and physically felt something crack in his chest.

“Oh, how awful!” Lila cooed, slipping her arms around Adrien and pretending to comfort him. “I always knew Marinette hated me, but you would think she’d at least try to be a good friend and act like she’s happy that _you’re_ happy. I guess she really despises me that much,” Lila lamented for the benefit of the rest of the class.

“I think she’s just having a rough week,” Alya spoke up, trying to make excuses. “She doesn’t hate you, Lila.”

“Thanks,” Adrien sighed, pushing Lila away gently. “I’m okay. It’s okay. I get why she’s upset.”

Alya arched an eyebrow suspiciously. “Do you? Do you _really_?”

Adrien furrowed his brow in confusion at Alya’s implication that he had no idea about what Marinette was feeling. It seemed to him that _she_ was the one truly in the dark because she refused to believe Marinette about Lila.

An ember of resentment towards Alya flickered to life, and Adrien had to conscientiously snuff it out, reminding himself that Alya was Lila’s victim too, and her only crime was being too credulous.

“I…thought I did?” Adrien answered Alya uncertainly.

He paused a beat before expectantly adding, “…Aren’t you going to go after Marinette?”

Alya’s eyes dropped to her books as she finished packing up. “I don’t think I should. She gets a little unreasonable about this kind of thing, and I only seem to make her _more_ angry when I try to help. I think it’s best to leave her alone to calm down. I don’t want to say the wrong thing and end up getting her akumatized.”

Adrien’s shoulders slumped, and he nodded in agreement. “You’re right. That’s probably best. No one would want that.”

With another sigh, he turned to Lila in resignation. “Ready to go, Ma Fleur? Here. Let me carry your bag for you.”

“Aww. Thank you,” Lila giggled, happily handing over her satchel. “You really are too good to me.”

“Nonsense,” he scoffed, lying smoothly: “Nothing is too good for you.”

They made their way to the locker room, Lila hanging off of Adrien’s arm until he dropped her off at her locker to finish packing up for the night.

Nino intercepted Adrien halfway to his own locker, calling to Lila, “Hey, do you mind if I borrow your boyfriend for, like, ten minutes? I need his help on a Physics project real quick; otherwise, I’m going to fail.”

“Not at all,” Lila assured, pretending to play nice with a large, forced smile. “Just bring him back quickly or I’ll miss him.”

“Be right back,” Adrien promised, giving his fingers a quick kiss and tossing it her way.

“This way,” Nino directed as they exited the locker room. He led Adrien down a level, as if they were headed for the cafeteria, but he turned down the opposite hall and, instead, guided Adrien to the gym equipment storage closet, opening the door for him with a bow. “After you.”

Adrien arched an eyebrow. “This feels like the prank where you slam the door behind me and lock me in, and I have to climb out through the little window to gain my freedom.”

Nino rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Dude. Seriously. This is just for privacy—I promise.”

With a shrug, Adrien stepped into the grey half-light of the storage room and watched as Nino checked to make sure no one had seen them go into the closet.

Satisfied that they hadn’t been followed, Nino closed the door behind them and turned on the light.

Adrien smirked, inching his eyebrow a few centimeters higher. “Do you and Alya sneak off here to make out, or how do you know about this place?”

Adrien had been there to transform a handful of times because the closet was in a relatively unpopulated part of the school, but he had to wonder what use his best friend had of the space.

Nino’s cheeks sprouted a florid blush that told Adrien he had guessed right, but he didn’t get to enjoy his victory long because the next words out of Nino’s mouth were, “Don’t be getting any ideas about bringing Lila here to play tonsil hockey.”

Without thinking, Adrien pulled a face, scrunching his nose in displeasure. “Don’t worry. That’s not going to happen.”

Nino’s eyes narrowed, and he jabbed an accusatory finger at his friend. “There. See? You _don’t_ really like Lila, do you?”

Shamefacedly, Adrien looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck and shrugging. “I mean…she’s fine. I like her well enough.”

“Mec, you _don’t_ ,” Nino whined, coming over and placing his hands on Adrien’s shoulders, making it hard for Adrien not to meet his eyes. “Come on. Talk to me. What the heck is going on with you and Lila?”

“Nothing,” Adrien insisted, trying to pull away. “We’re just dating. There’s nothing to talk about.”

Nino caught Adrien’s face in his hands and stared his best friend down, earnestly searching for some kind of explanation. “…Adrien…come on.”

Adrien shut his eyes and stepped back.

Nino let him go.

“Sorry,” Adrien mumbled, crossing his arms and looking down at the tumbling mats stacked in the corner. “Can we just not? I have to go. I don’t want to keep Lila waiting.”

Nino caught him by the arm as he started to make for the door.

“Is this your father’s idea?”

Adrien stopped and blinked in surprise at Nino’s conjecture.

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Nino chuckled, perking up as he leaned into the hypothesis. “This is a publicity stunt, and you can’t tell me about it because that jerk made you sign a nondisclosure agreement.”

Adrien’s expression wilted as he shook his head. “Nino… No. This isn’t my father’s doing. This was my decision.”

“Okay, then explain it to me,” Nino demanded, moving in between Adrien and the door. “Why in the world would you decide to date a girl you don’t like? Are you just trying to save her feelings so that she doesn’t get akumatized because, seriously, Mec, you’re gonna have to tell her you’re not into her at some point, and it’s better to rip the bandage off sooner rather than later.”

“That’s not it,” Adrien grumbled, beginning to tire of the conversation and wishing Nino would just drop it already.

“Then what _is_ it?” Nino groaned, similarly frustrated at their stalemate.

Adrien considered coming clean for a fraction of a second.

If he could tell anyone, it would be Nino, but…

He shook his head sadly, gazing at the dust bunnies on the long-neglected floor. “…You wouldn’t believe me,” he whispered.

“I’d like to decide whether or not I believe you myself,” Nino snorted crossly. “Why on earth would I not believe you, Adrien? You’re not about to tell me you’re Ladybug, are you?”

Adrien winced at Nino’s half-hearted attempt at a joke.

“You wouldn’t believe me,” he repeated softly, the words cutting into his heart like too-tight clothes cutting off circulation.

“Adrien… Just tell me,” Nino cooed, stepping forward once more to rest his hands on Adrien’s upper arms. “Please.”

Adrien looked up, internally debating as he silently studied Nino.

Mentally crossing his fingers, he took a deep breath and rapidly spit out: “Lila’s emotionally blackmailing me into dating her. She knows how I feel about Marinette, so she’s threatening to spread rumors and ruin Marinette’s life if I don’t play along. Marinette’s been right all this time: everything Lila’s ever told you is a lie.”

Nino just stared, blinking uncomprehendingly. “…Lila… _what_?”

Adrien jerked away, retreating as hurt and vindication blurred his vision with tears.

“See?” he accused. “I told you you wouldn’t believe me. You’re just like Alya. No one believed Marinette either because everyone wants to believe Lila’s pretty lies, but—”

“—Whoa. Slow down, Mec,” Nino urged, making a grab for Adrien.

Adrien dodged, and Nino redoubled his efforts, managing to snag hold of Adrien’s wrist and tripping them both in the process, sending them down onto the tumbling mats in a heap.

“It’s not that I don’t believe _you_ ,” Nino grunted as he pushed himself up to sitting. “It’s that I’m having a hard time believing what you’re telling me. There’s a difference,” he stressed.

“Is there?” Adrien sniffed, feelings still sorely bruised.

“Yeah,” Nino insisted. “I don’t think you’re lying…. I just… My brain is having a little trouble understanding how what you’re saying can be true, so just feed it to me in smaller pieces instead of trying to shove the whole cheesecake down my throat, okay? Start over. Slowly. You said Lila was blackmailing you?”

Adrien nodded, not bothering to get up. The day had left him too physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted.

Nino wanted to point out that that didn’t sound like Lila at all, but he wisely kept his mouth shut, fearing it would sound like he was doubting Adrien and taking Lila’s side. Instead, he asked, “When did this start?”

“…Three years ago, I guess?” Adrien sighed.

“Holy…” Nino choked on a guttural curse. “Mec, what the hell? Like…what the hell?”

“Remember when Marinette almost got expelled?” Adrien prompted without energy.

Nino pursed his lips, sifting through his memories. “…Oh…yeah. Yeah, I do kind of remember something like that happening, I think.”

“Lila orchestrated the whole thing,” Adrien informed him, and it felt oddly freeing to finally tell someone the truth. “She framed Marinette and tried to turn everyone against her.”

“Okay, but why?” Nino pressed, still skeptical.

Adrien shrugged. “I don’t really get it, personally. I think it’s because Marinette never believed Lila’s lies and tried to out her to the whole class. Lila doesn’t like it when you challenge her or try to rebel. She can get nasty if you step out of line. Another part of it could be that Lila’s jealous. I mean, _everyone_ loves Marinette. She’s just so good and kind and helpful and smart and pretty and wonderful,” Adrien rhapsodized, a weary yet genuine smile lighting up his lips for the first time that day.

Nino couldn’t hold in a fond chuckle at his friend’s lovesick mooning. “Someone’s smitten.”

“Fatally so,” Adrien hummed.

“…So…Lila has a vendetta against Marinette,” Nino summarized, getting the conversation back on track. “I mean, I could believe that, I guess. Marinette certainly holds a grudge against Lila. But where do _you_ fit in? How does Lila’s plot to get Marinette expelled end in Lila blackmailing you?”

“I promised to play nice and be friends with Lila in return for Lila shutting down her machinations and getting Marinette un-expelled,” Adrien groaned, shaking his head. “Things just keep getting worse as the years go by, though, and the price to get Lila to keep the peace keeps getting higher.”

Nino frowned, shifting uneasily. “What do you mean? She’s been holding Marinette over you this whole time?”

Adrien nodded. “Whenever I don’t do what she wants, she starts making threats. Like, today she said she would start spreading rumors that Marinette was dating older men for money so that people would think badly of her and stop talking to her.”

“The _hell_?” Nino repeated, his face crumpling into deep furrows of disgusted disbelief.

“She’s talking about ruining Marinette’s career too,” Adrien continued softly, drowning in his feelings of helplessness. “My father seems to listen to her for some reason, and she’s mentioned turning him against Marinette so he’ll make it so that Marinette can’t get a job anywhere. So, I’m stuck doing what Lila wants,” he concluded morosely. “Otherwise, she’ll hurt Marinette, and I can’t let that happen. I have to protect her.”

Nino bit his lip, feeling stuck. “Have you ever considered that maybe Marinette can protect herself and wouldn’t appreciate you caving to whatever Lila wants?”

“Well…yeah,” Adrien admitted sheepishly. “I mean, I _know_ Marinette is perfectly capable. I wouldn’t be half as in love with her if she were some damsel in distress. I know how awesome and competent she is, but…”

He looked up at Nino with pleading eyes. “She doesn’t feel like she has anyone on her side in this. She’s kind of given up the fight in some respects. All her friends think that Lila is wonderful, and not even Alya believes her when she tries to tell Alya what Lila is really like. Yeah, Marinette could probably handle things on her own,” Adrien admitted, “but she shouldn’t _have_ to. She should have people she can rely upon…and I want to be that person for her.”

Nino nodded, able to appreciate the sentiment because that was similar to how he felt about Alya. He knew she was a tough young woman who could handle whatever life threw at her, but he wanted to be by her side supporting her when she needed it all the same.

“I hear you,” Nino confirmed. “But that doesn’t mean Marinette is going to be happy when she finds out. In fact, I guarantee she won’t appreciate it.”

“Yeah,” Adrien agreed softly, knowing Nino was right. “Honestly, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep this up. I know I _have_ to and that there’s no giving up now, but…”

He shook his head and heaved a heavy sigh. “Things just keep escalating. At first, I just had to tolerate her and do photoshoots that made her look good. I also couldn’t say anything bad about her to anyone. Then she wanted to be my date at parties, for me not to deny it when people asked if we were dating. Then she started hanging off of me and telling me not to complain, and now… It’s just gotten to be too much, Nino,” Adrien finally confessed.

“She acts like she has a right to touch me whenever she wants. It’s not, like, _bad_ touching,” Adrien hastily clarified when he saw the horrified expression Nino was making. “It’s more like…like I’m her property, so she can put her hands on my chest if she feels like it. She thinks she can just come over and hang off of my arm whenever she wants. Stuff like that. It makes me uncomfortable, but it’s not necessarily inappropriate.”

“If it makes you uncomfortable, it’s inappropriate,” Nino retorted firmly, his temper starting to boil. “Adrien, this has to stop. We need to talk to Miss Bustier and get Damocles involved. This is _serious_.”

Adrien sat up in a panic, waving his hands to halt Nino’s thought process before he could really get going. “No, no, no, no, no!” he insisted, wide-eyed in fear at the consequences of publicly outing Lila. “We _can’t_. Nino, you can’t say anything to _anyone_. This was supposed to be just between bros.”

“Adrien, this is kind of a huge freaking deal,” Nino informed gravely. “You don’t just sit on this kind of thing and let it happen. I mean, look how things have worsened over the past three years, and now that she’s got you dating her, what do you think comes next? I’ve had to sit back and watch for years as you’ve jumped whenever your father said so. I’m not going to sit on my hands and do nothing while Lila treats you like her plaything. This stops now,” Nino growled with a ferocity that almost made Adrien worry about Lila’s safety.

“Nino, no,” Adrien pleaded, resting his hand on Nino’s bicep and squeezing in entreaty. “I swear I’m fine. I was just exaggerating when I was complaining earlier. It’s really not that bad.”

Nino gave him a look that plainly called Adrien’s bluff.

Adrien’s shoulders slumped. “Look. You can’t say anything. Publicly exposing Lila isn’t going to help things. It’s not going to make her be better, and it’s not going to improve my situation. It’s just going to make her mad and out for blood,” he explained.

Nino’s brow furrowed as he listened to what Adrien had to say. He weighed the options but struggled to come to a definite conclusion.

“Most importantly,” Adrien continued, “Lila will only lash out at Marinette, and then everything I’ve done these past three years will have been for nothing. I’m afraid of what Lila could do, Nino. She’s already proved that she could get Marinette expelled with impunity. I don’t want to find out what else she could get away with.”

“…But, Mec…” Nino argued gently, feeling conflicted and unsure. “The only way this ends for good is by you coming forward and letting everyone know what’s really been going on.”

Adrien shook his head glumly. “Nino, no one will believe me.”

“ _I_ believe you,” Nino protested.

Adrien kept shaking his head. “No one else will. It’s my word against hers. It’s not like I have any proof, and people don’t like it when you smash their comfy little view of reality. No one’s going to _want_ to believe me.”

Nino deflated as he slowly became convinced. “But we can’t just do nothing and let her win.”

“It’ll be fine,” Adrien insisted, praying that it was true. “For now, I’m fine, so please, please, please don’t say anything to anyone. I’m literally begging you.”

Nino pursed his lips, still wavering. “This doesn’t sit right with me. There’s got to be _something_ we can do.”

“Nino, promise you won’t try to interfere,” Adrien pressed, taking Nino by the shoulders. “Do this for me, and I’ll never ask you for anything else ever.”

Nino blew out a lengthy exhale suffused with weariness. “Oh, all right. I won’t cause you any problems.”

Adrien threw his arms around Nino, nearly tackling him in his relief. “Thank you. I seriously can’t thank you enough.”

“All right. All right,” Nino sighed, giving Adrien an affectionate squeeze. “I’m not so convinced that I’m actually doing you a favour.”

Nino pulled back to look Adrien full in the face. “Keep me up to date on the situation, okay? You’re not alone in this anymore, so please talk to me.”

Adrien nodded, softly assuring, “I will. I promise…. Seriously. Thank you, Nino.”

Nino gave Adrien’s hair a tussle. “I love you, okay?”

“Love you too,” Adrien chuckled, raising his fist and offering it to Nino for a fist bump.

Nino reciprocated and threw in a clap on Adrien’s arm for good measure.

“If this concludes our heart-to-heart, I really need to get going,” Adrien sighed, mood darkening once more. “I don’t want to keep my ‘Venus flytrap’ waiting.”

Nino winced, getting to his feet and offering Adrien a hand up. “Do you think she’ll suspect anything? Do we need to be getting our stories straight?”

“Maybe,” Adrien grumbled, beginning to brainstorm. “I don’t think she thinks I’d ever actually tell anyone, but…she hasn’t gotten this far by being credulous. I should be able to shake her off my tail if you keep treating her like normal.”

Nino grimaced at the thought of being friendly with Lila knowing everything that he did now. “That’s not going to be easy,” he confessed. “I’ll find some way to do it, though. Whatever it takes to protect you.”

“Thanks.” Adrien shot his best friend a grateful look, and Nino responded with a wink, bumping shoulders with Adrien as they made their way back to the locker room where Lila was waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Was there a part of it you liked best? How about a particular line or bit of description that stood out to you? Let me know what you thought because I could really use a pick-me-up right about now. I've had a rough week on top of the usual loneliness and depression brought on by Valentine's Day each year. If you're feeling alone and down too, please know that you're not alone. There are a lot of us suffering, so hang in there. <3
> 
> I'll see you guys again on Wednesday, 02/17/2021. Take care, and stay safe!
> 
> (Just FYI, if you feel like some more Mikau content, I just posed a fluffy one-shot today called [The Valentine's Day Haters Club](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29407971). It's Marichat, and I hope you'll check it out. ^.^)
> 
> References:  
> Assa Café: https://assacafe.com/en/


	4. The Worst Date Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lila and Adrien trade barbs, and no one is happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a nice day. I’m hanging in there. Thank you for joining me today for the fourth installment of Betting Against the House.
> 
> I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> Shameless plug for my [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/). ^w^

“…So…” Lila finally spoke up on their short stroll to Assa Café just down the street from the school. “Nino’s going to fail Physics?” she carefully sounded him out, trying to determine if Nino’s excuse to pull Adrien aside held water.

Adrien made a thoughtful noise. “Maybe not fail outright, but he’s certainly not going to do well.” He cast her a sidelong glance and then pretended to come clean. “The Physics project isn’t actually what Nino and I talked about.”

Her grip on his arm tightened until it was almost painful. “Oh? Then what _did_ you two talk about? Surely you’re not spreading slander about me.”

Adrien scoffed. “Lila, do you think I’d risk Marinette’s safety like that?”

It wasn’t a lie. He was simply leaving it up to her to decide what the truth was.

She seemed to come to the conclusion that he wouldn’t play around when it came to protecting Marinette because her hold on his arm started to loosen.

“Besides,” he sighed, “what would be the point of telling anyone? It’s not like they’d believe me. You’ve got the wool pulled too far down over their eyes.”

Lila hummed softly as she contemplated the merits of his statements.

“Nino’s planning a surprise for Alya,” Adrien volunteered to throw her off the scent. “He’s been consulting me because I’m a hopeless romantic and good at giving gifts and orchestrating surprises.”

“Is that so?” Lila chuckled, a sly grin beginning to form at the corners of her lips. “Prove it. I expect a romantic gift from you promptly.”

Adrien shrugged, pretending that it was of no consequence.

On the inside, he heaved an enormous sigh of relief because it appeared that he had outfoxed her and that she believed he hadn’t said anything to Nino about the blackmail.

“Anything for you, Ma Fleur,” he replied obediently.

They arrived at the café—small and intimate with counter service and only a few seats—a couple minutes later.

Lila did not look impressed as she glanced over [the menu](https://assacafe.com/en/menu-page/). “I guess I could get one of their detox juices. What do you usually get here?”

“Typically, I order the salmon or tofu bentou,” he informed, getting out his wallet. “Their ingredients are really fresh, and the chef is fantastic, so you can’t actually go wrong.”

“The lunchboxes do look good,” she granted reservedly, not wanting to appear too excited. “But rice has so many carbs.”

“So just eat the meat and the vegetables,” Adrien suggested with a shrug. “It’s not like you have to eat everything.”

She pursed her lips, debating. “Which is better: the miso pork or the teriyaki chicken?”

“I don’t know, actually,” he sheepishly admitted. “I’ve never had them. I’m a [pescatarian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism).”

She stood there for almost twenty full seconds gawking at him. “No, you’re not.”

“I’m pretty sure I am,” he snorted lightly, not appreciating her dictating tone. “And I think I would be the best person to ask about my eating habits.”

“I’ve seen you eat chicken before,” she accused, acting like this was some kind of personal betrayal. “I saw you when your father invited me over to dine with you.”

“I’ll eat it if it’s put in front of me,” he confessed, “but, when I have any say about what I eat, I’m pescatarian, so I’ve never ordered the miso pork or the teriyaki chicken here.”

She blew out an indignant little huff, crossing her arms over her chest. “You don’t have to be such a jerk about it.”

Adrien physically bit his tongue to hold in a snarky response.

“…I guess I’ll get the miso pork,” she eventually decided. “Evian to drink and a matcha tiramisu. It really did sound good when I heard you talking to Elise about it the other day.”

“Perfect. Sounds good.” He gave a nod of approval as he moved down the counter to the register to pay.

“I’m going to take a seat,” she apprised, turning in a way so that her hair whipped around behind her sharply.

Seating was extremely limited—a bench seat along the wall opposite the counter and a handful of tables with individual chairs on the other side—and the restaurant was very small, so Lila didn’t have far to go. She could hear Adrien exchanging pleasantries with the cashier, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying because they were holding their conversation in Japanese.

This irritated her for a reason she couldn’t quite pinpoint, and it only got more intense as the cashier laughed and smiled at something Adrien had said.

Lila took a deep breath and forced herself to stay calm as she watched Adrien finish at the counter and bring over their trays.

She hated his charm, his irresistibility, his boyish handsomeness, and the way he was so nice to everyone who wasn’t her.

Conversation was sparse as they consumed their food.

They’d never really talked in the years that they’d known one another. Adrien was civil and polite but didn’t make an effort to initiate chitchat, and Lila hadn’t bothered to get to know him either.

He was just a pretty face and a bleeding heart whom she was more than willing to use and step on in order to climb her way up. Besides, she was more than half certain that he hated her, despite his “moral high ground”, “patience of a saint” act. She had never seen the point in truly getting to know him. It wasn’t like he _really_ cared about getting to know her, despite his pretended amicability.

“You’re acting awfully sullen,” she observed when five minutes passed without either saying anything to the other.

He shrugged.

He did that a lot, and it annoyed her. It was like he couldn’t be bothered to give her a proper answer. She didn’t like him dismissing her like that.

“You should smile,” she advised. “The point of this date is for you to make a show of how in love you are with me and how happy we are together. I’m dating you for the media exposure, so stop sulking and look like you’re excited to be with me or something.”

“Sorry,” he chuckled darkly. “It’s a little difficult to act cheerful when you’re upset.”

“What do you have to be upset about?” she challenged.

He eyed her with a dangerously bland look, cocking an eyebrow as if daring her to say it again. “You took something important from me, Lila,” he explained flatly. “My father is a little stingy with my schedule, so I had to plan tonight’s game night with my friends almost a month in advance, but, now, here I am wasting an evening with you. I was looking forward to game night, but you ruined that for me, so, yeah. I think most people would say I had something to be upset about.”

She gave a little snort and tossed her head. “Well, be upset later. Right now, you’re on the clock, so make a good show of being in love with me.”

He sighed, closing his eyes and taking a couple deep breaths to defuse his temper. When he opened them, he smiled brightly, looking for all the world like he was enjoying their outing. “Is this better?”

“Perfect.” She decreed, satisfied…until he reached across the table and stole a bite of her matcha tiramisu. “Hey! Thief! I didn’t say you could have any!” she squawked in protest.

He smirked at her around his spoon. “Sorry, Ma Fleur. I didn’t think you’d mind. I mean…don’t you love me enough to share?”

Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

“Come on,” he teasingly whispered. “If I have to put on an act, so do you. No one’s going to believe I love someone who bosses me around and treats me like garbage. You have to at least pretend to be worthy of love; otherwise, everyone’s going to see through this sham.”

Her lip curled back into a scowl as she hissed, “I don’t know, Adrien. You seem to love your father, even though he treats you like dirt. Maybe people will just assume you’re a masochist.”

Adrien recoiled, the fake smile dropping clear off his face. He gazed at Lila with contempt but didn’t voice a response.

Her sneer phased into a discontented frown. “You’re going to have to do better at this fake dating thing in the future when we’re in public; otherwise, Marinette might find that there are some unfortunate rumors circulating about her.”

Adrien rolled his eyes. “There are literally two or three other people in this restaurant right now, and they’re all around back. No one’s watching our shameful little display, and I did just fine all day at school. Back off, Lila.”

It was a gamble confronting her like that, but, for once, it payed off.

Lila shrugged and sat back in her seat, returning to her dessert disinterestedly. “You _did_ do well at school today. …Make sure you keep up the good work, and maybe we won’t have a problem.”

Adrien nodded, scooping up some rice with his chopsticks and bringing it up to his mouth to keep himself busy so that he wouldn’t press her any further and accidentally push her over the edge.

Things were quiet again for a stretch, each of them lost in their own reverie.

Several minutes later, Lila spoke in a soft, defensive voice, asking out of seemingly nowhere, “What do you like about Marinette so much, anyway?”

Adrien looked up and blinked at her in surprise, unsure if she had actually said anything and whether he had heard her right.

She arched an eyebrow at him challengingly. “Well? What do you like about her?”

Normally, this would be the point where Adrien went off on a bullet-pointed lecture about how amazing and wonderful Marinette was, but, always wary of Lila, he reined in his kneejerk response and formulated a more reserved reply.

“Her selflessness, mostly,” he confessed, cautiously elaborating. “She’s kind, even when she doesn’t have to be, and she’s always willing to take on more work on top of her already overwhelming load in order to help a friend. She’s just a good person like that. She doesn’t do it to get anything out of it…she’s just good,” he finished with a shrug.

Lila snorted, casting her eyes back down at her tiramisu. “Figures you’d go for that goody-goody martyr act. You’re so gullible.”

“…May I ask what you hate about her so much?” Adrien inquired, attempting to foster a genuine conversation.

If he could figure out what made Lila tick, maybe he could come up with a way to gain the upper hand and declaw her. He knew from studying history that some people really were just evil, but he couldn’t help but think that there was some reason why Lila acted the way she did. If he could figure her out, maybe she wouldn’t turn out to be such a lost cause after all.

Lila tossed her head, heat rising on the back of her neck and staining the tips of her ears crimson. “What I hate most is that everyone loves her so much,” she spat with venom. “She doesn’t even have to try, and everybody loves her. She’s so obnoxious with her ‘holier than thou’ attitude. She acts like she’s better than me, but she’s not, and she doesn’t deserve everybody fawning over her all the time.”

Adrien nodded, taking a long sip of his [houjicha](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Djicha).

She was jealous, no different than Chloé. The only difference was how Lila went about expressing her jealousy.

Chloé was just a brat and a bully. (He meant that in the nicest, most loving way possible because Chloé was like a sister to him, but that didn’t stop him from seeing her less attractive sides.)

Lila was insidious. She wasn’t outwardly vicious or vindictive like Chloé. Instead, she spun intricate plans like a spider lying in wait to capture unsuspecting victims in her web of silver-tongued lies.

“Have you ever considered that it’s okay for Marinette to get attention?” he tentatively suggested. “It’s not a [zero-sum game](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game). Just because people are paying attention to her, that doesn’t take anything away from you, does it?”

“Any time people are fussing over her, they’re not lavishing me with attention; therefore, I _do_ lose out if people pay attention to her,” Lila argued hotly. “You can forget about any delusions you have of making us get along and be friends. She has things that I want, and I’m prepared and willing to take them from her. There are some things that aren’t shareable.”

Adrien’s brow slid into a soft frown. “Like what?”

“Like you,” she replied airily, not letting him see the weight she placed on or the importance of this acquisition. “For starters, anyway.”

“I see,” he replied neutrally, taking another sip of his tea.

What he wanted to say was, _“You’ll never have me”_.

“Well…have you ever considered that maybe people would like you, even if you were just yourself around them?” he tried from a different angle.

She rolled her eyes. “You’re gullible _and_ naïve. I’m my true self around _you_ , and you despise me, don’t you?”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “Despise is a little strong,” he hedged.

She laughed mockingly at that. “Please. I’m the bane of your existence.”

“That would be Papillon,” he corrected. “I don’t necessarily hate you, Lila. You make me really angry sometimes, and I want to wring your neck when you hurt my friends, but, most of the time, I don’t hate you,” he explained, trying to convince her.

She cocked an eyebrow at him in suspicion, not taking his word for it.

“Most of the time, you’re an annoyance, and I resent you for being a crappy person,” he summarized. “But I don’t hate you.”

She nodded slowly, analyzing his words. “…I see…. So…how do your personal experiences with me lead you to believe that others would still fawn over me if I dropped the act and stopped telling them what they wanted to hear?”

Adrien pursed his lips as he came up with nothing.

“Mmhm.” She kept nodding. “Yeah. That’s what I thought. Well. Thanks for the suggestion, but I think I like things the way they are at present, so I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing. Seriously, thanks, though,” she replied, voice dripping with irony.

“Doesn’t it ever get to you, though?” he pressed, showing his hand a little. “Not being able to be authentically yourself and accepted as you are by anyone?”

She tipped her head to the side, taking a slow sip of her Evian water as she pondered the earnestness of his tone. “Not really. Why? Is this a personal problem you’re having?”

He pulled the shutters down over his emotions, carefully composing his face into a neutral expression.

Like hell he was going to get into the complexities of the lies he had to tell the people he loved in order to protect them and his secret identity with Lila. She didn’t get to know how it tore him apart sometimes not being able to share aspects of his life as Adrien with Ladybug and how he longed to confide in Nino or Marinette about life as Chat Noir.

“If it were, I wouldn’t be talking about it with you,” he informed levelly keeping the ire out of his voice.

A quirky smile slowly turned up the corners of her lips as she chuckled, “Then why did you think I’d open up and be all vulnerable with you when _you_ asked _me_?”

He blinked, surprised by the question.

He found himself hard pressed to answer her.

“Because you’re such a nice, sweet guy that everyone spills their guts to you?” she snickered. “Don’t try to psychoanalyze me, Adrien. I’m not a problem for you to fix, and I don’t need you to save me. I’m perfectly happy the way that I am.”

“Are you actually?” He really had to wonder. “How can you be? You don’t have any real friends…I mean…unless you count my father, and I don’t think he actually counts.”

She shrugged, unconcerned. “I don’t need friends. Friends are for mushy, weak people like you. You band together to protect yourselves because you’re stronger that way, but I don’t need other people like that. I’m tough enough to make it on my own.”

Adrien thought she was way off the mark, but it was obvious that he wouldn’t be convincing her about the benefits of friends at this time, let alone anytime soon.

“…Have you _ever_ had friends?” he asked while she was in a divulging mood.

Even though she’d said not to analyze her, he couldn’t help but be curious. He had to believe that if he could just figure her out, he could help her stop hurting others and herself.

She paused to think for a moment, little trenches burrowing their way across her forehead as she did so. “…Maybe when I was little,” she finally answered. “I remember there were some kids around my age where we were living at the time, and we played together. I don’t remember their names. My family never stayed in one place long enough for me to really get to know anyone, so there was never any point in making friends in the way that you mean. These past three years is the longest I’ve ever been in one country, let alone one city. It’s kind of weird being stuck with the same people for so long.”

“That must have been hard, not feeling like there was any point in getting attached to anyone because you knew it wouldn’t be permanent,” he responded thoughtfully.

She rolled her eyes, balled up her napkin, and tossed it at him. “Oh, stop. I don’t need or want your pity. Stop trying to find explanations for why I am the way I am,” she commanded wearily. “I’m not some tragic romance novel antihero with deep reasons for acting the way I do. There’s no trauma for you to uncover and heal in order to make me a ‘good’ person. You don’t get to play hero this time.”

He held up his hands in surrender, backing down.

He didn’t think she was telling the truth exactly, but she was very clear about her wishes for him to drop it.

“Okay. Sorry,” he bowed out demurely, scooping the napkin she had thrown up off the floor and depositing it onto his tray with his own rubbish.

She snorted softly, crossing her arms. “Real people aren’t so black and white,” she grumbled. “We’re all grey on the inside.”

“Yeah. Maybe,” he agreed halfheartedly, still thinking that maybe there was something he could do to get through to her and make her want to change for the better.

“Give up,” she groaned, seeing the gears in his head moving. “You’re such a goody-goody. Just like Marinette. I’d say you two deserved each other if I didn’t want you for myself.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he chuckled, a faint smile coming back to his lips.

“This date is over,” she announced abruptly, sounding tired as she rose to her feet. “I didn’t come here for you to turn me into your next do-gooder project. I came here so that people would see me acting all lovey-dovey with Adrien Agreste. Since that’s not happening, you might as well take me home and go hang out with your loser friends like you wanted.”

Adrien hurriedly drained the rest of his tea and got together the rubbish to take over to the waste disposal bin.

“Sorry I’m such poor company,” he apologized, not bothering to put any feeling behind the words as he picked up her school bag to carry for her and held out his arm for her to take hold of.

“You’d better be,” she huffed, taking his arm and letting him escort her out of the restaurant to where his driver was waiting for them, parked on the street outside. “This is the worst date I’ve ever been on.”

“Have you been on many dates?” he wondered aloud without thinking.

“Plenty,” she retorted defensively. “Usually, the boys I date shower me with compliments and can’t take their eyes off of me the whole evening.”

“I must be defective,” he snickered, opening the car door for her. “Sorry. I promise I’ll do better at school tomorrow in front of our audience.”

“You’d better,” she grumbled, climbing in and crossing her arms sulkily.

Adrien made a show of walking Lila to her door and giving her a parting kiss on the cheek in case any paparazzi were watching. “See you tomorrow, Ma Fleur.”

“I’ll miss you, My Prince,” she giggled, delighting in his compliance.

He slumped in the seat as soon as he got back into the car, feeling like all of the energy had been sucked out of him. He looked up to find Victor, his bodyguard, sneaking glances at him in the rearview mirror, trying to assess whether he was okay.

“Rough day,” he sighed, summoning up a tired smile. “I’m actually supposed to be over at Marinette’s playing video games right now, though, so…you don’t think you could drive me over there, do you?”

Victor gave a grunt and turned the car in the direction of Tom and Sabine’s.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you go. What did you think of the chapter? Did you enjoy Adrien and Lila’s dynamic? It was fun to write. I really like their antagonistic relationship. It’s really enjoyable when two characters who can’t actually stand one another are forced to interact. ^.^
> 
> I think my two favourite moments from this chapter are when Adrien steals a bite of Lila’s tiramisu and when Lila throws her napkin at Adrien. How about you? Did you have a favourite part or a particular line that made you laugh?
> 
> This was kind of an interesting chapter to write because I got to dig into Lila’s character some more. Horrible people are rarely horrible apropos of nothing. There’s usually something in their life that’s shaped them into the person they are. For Lila, I imagine she’s actually really insecure. Her father doesn’t seem to be in the picture, and her mother seems to be struggling to give Lila the attention she needs while also succeeding in a demanding career as a diplomat that keeps her busy. She didn’t even know that Lila’s school wasn’t actually closed because of the akuma attacks, so it appears from canon that Lila’s mother doesn’t pay her daughter as much attention as she should, so maybe Lila is like Adrien and feeling neglected by her parent.
> 
> I imagine with her mother’s job that they moved around a lot, so Lila probably didn’t have opportunities to form attachments and make close, lasting friends when she was young. Maybe she started lying so that people would like her and give her the attention she craves and isn’t getting at home. Maybe Lila’s lies and manipulations were originally her way to exert control over her environment when she was used to being moved around a lot with no say in anything that happened to her. It’s obviously gotten completely out of control, and her coping behaviors are clearly maladaptive and unhealthy, but I can see canon Lila growing out of someone with a lot of insecurities and self-worth issues. She seems to be seeking validation from others perhaps because she struggles with self-validation.
> 
> That’s the backstory that I’ve decided on for Lila, anyway, based on my analysis of her character. ^.^ Maybe canon has other ideas, but the above is what would make sense to me.
> 
> Also, Adrien’s reaction to Lila may seem unfathomable to some of you, but if you think about canon Adrien and how resilient and positive and unfailingly optimistic he is, I think it would be in character for him to try to find the good in Lila and see if he could figure out how to help her and “turn her good”. I got that impression, at least, from how he can still see the good in Chloé and want her to change for the better and from how he reacted when Marinette wanted them both to tell everyone what a liar Lila was. He seems to advocate for giving people multiple chances and helping them to become better people.
> 
> Since Adrien had a very sheltered upbringing, he probably spent a lot of time reading Romantic fiction and fairy stories as well as watching Disney movies with their happily ever afters, so I would think he’d have a slightly naïve approach to dealing with Lila. He’d probably want a Lila redemption arc and for everything to work out and end happily. I don’t know how realistic that is in the real world since, in the real world, Lila would need years of therapy, but…I believe that Adrien would want that kind of ending at least.
> 
> Anyway! Enough character analysis. Thank you for reading, everyone. Let me know what you thought because I’d love to know.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I will be back with the next one on Saturday, 02/20/2021. Take care! 
> 
> References:  
> Assa Café Menu: https://assacafe.com/en/menu-page/  
> Pescatarian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pescetarianism  
> Houjicha: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C5%8Djicha  
> Zero-Sum Game: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zero-sum_game


	5. Parental Support

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien arrives at the Dupain-Cheng residence for game night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you're all doing well. I've been so cold recently. The client for whom I do work almost exclusively went bankrupt, so I've spent the past few weeks just waiting for my firm to tell me I'm being laid off, since there hasn't been as much billable work to go around since the beginning of the pandemic. I spoke with my supervisor yesterday, though, and she seemed optimistic about finding other projects for me to work on, so maybe I won't be let go right away after all. Fingers crossed.
> 
> Anyway! Thank you for joining me once again. I hope you enjoy today's chapter. ^.^
> 
> Shameless plug for my [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/). :P

“I’ll call you when I’m ready to be picked up,” Adrien advised as he climbed out of the car ten minutes later. “Thank you so much for this.”

The Gorilla gave another grunt coupled with a soft smile. He watched to make sure that Adrien made it inside the bakery and then drove off.

Tom was inside, bustling around and cleaning up for the day. He looked up at the sound of the bell above the door ringing and raised a meaty hand in greeting when he spotted his guest.

“Hello there, Son!” he chuckled, smiling with such authentic pleasure at seeing Adrien that it made Adrien want to cry.

His own father was never that happy to see him.

Adrien waved sheepishly. “Good evening, Monsieur Dupain.”

Tom’s eyebrow quirked, and he crossed his arms with an affectionate sigh. The look on his face asked, “How many times have I told you that you don’t have to call me ‘Monsieur’?”

“—er—I mean _Tom_ ,” Adrien hastily corrected and had to suppress a laugh as Tom’s face burst back into a pleased grin.

“That’s more like it,” Tom praised, waving Adrien in. “I’m actually shutting down for the night, but take your time and let me know what I can get for you.” He tipped his head towards the tray of unsold baked goods sitting on the counter next to the register. “The selection’s a little slim, but there’re still some worthy pastries left.”

“Oh, thank you, but I’m not here for the pastries,” Adrien assured.

Tom’s smile turned knowing. “Oh? Here for my daughter, then?”

Adrien’s cheeks flooded with vermillion, giving him away. He looked down at his feet, lips pulling into a smitten smile as he rubbed at the back of his neck. “Actually, Nino, Alya, Marinette, and I were supposed to be having game night, but I got held up with something, so I’m running a little late.”

Tom nodded, going back to wiping down the glass cases. “Unfortunately, Marinette came home from school not feeling too good. She wouldn’t see Alya and Nino when they came by earlier, so I think game night is off. Sorry no one let you know.”

“Oh,” Adrien gulped, wilting as his face abruptly lost colour. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize Marinette wasn’t feeling well.”

He wondered if Tom was privy to the cause of Marinette’s sudden malaise.

“She’ll be okay after a good night’s rest. No need to worry,” Tom reassured, waving away his concern.

“That’s good,” Adrien sighed in relief, hoping Tom was right. “…Well… Is there anything I can do to help while I’m here?” he offered nervously, not sure he could truly be of any use but willing to try.

“Sure,” Tom responded jollily, happy of the assistance. “Thank you very much, Adrien. Much appreciated. If you don’t mind, could you put the chairs up and sweep the seating area? Broom’s behind you to the left, propped up against the case.”

Adrien turned and spotted the broom. “Uh…yeah. Yeah, I can do that.”

He’d seen brooms used before. He was pretty sure he had the theory down, so it was all a matter of practical application.

“I just need to finish wiping down the cases,” Tom advised. “After that, if you like, we could head upstairs and play some games together. I’m sure Sabine would join in too. I know we’re not much of a substitute for Marinette, but…”

Adrien paused to stare back at Tom, dumbstruck. “Really? Would that…would that really be okay?”

Tom nodded earnestly, looking like he’d be giving Adrien a clap on the back if he were in range. “Yeah, of course. You’re always welcome here, Adrien. If you don’t mind hanging out with a bunch of old-timers, we’d be happy to have you.”

“That sounds great, actually,” Adrien confessed. “My father’s usually busy, so it can get a little lonely at home.”

“Yeah…I’ll bet,” Tom murmured softly, his heart going out to the young man before him as he remembered the distance between himself and his own father for many years. “I think about you sometimes, all alone in that big mansion…. You should come over more. Maybe come eat with us when your father’s busy with work.”

“I don’t think my father would let me,” Adrien chuckled forlornly. “But thank you so much for the offer. I really appreciate the fact that you even care.”

“Of course I care,” Tom scoffed. “There are a lot of people who care about you, Adrien.”

“Thanks, Tom,” Adrien replied, shooting a grateful smile Tom’s way. “It’s easy to get caught up in what I’m doing and forget sometimes. I appreciate the reminder.”

“Any time,” Tom promised, and then a teasing lilt came into his voice as he added, “But, you know, soon, you’ll officially be my son-in-law, and your father won’t have a say in you coming over for family dinner.”

Adrien burst out laughing at the outlandish thought. “Oh, I wish. Unfortunately, Marinette would have to be a fool to marry me, so I think I’m out of luck there.”

“Nah,” Tom insisted. “You’re a good catch, Son. Don’t be so down on yourself.”

Adrien looked up from the chair he’d just put up and studied Tom intently. “Be straight with me for a second. Do you actually think I have a chance?”

Tom shrugged. “I think it’s fifty-fifty between you and Chat Noir, but don’t quote me on that because I am the father of a seventeen-year-old girl. Seventeen-year-old girls don’t tell their papas anything.”

“So long as I’m in the race,” Adrien replied, trying to keep his effulgent grin under control. He failed pretty miserably and ended up smiling like a loon as he finished putting up the rest of the chairs and won a very close match against the broom.

Maybe, if he could just hold on until university, Lila would lose interest in him, and he could explain everything to Marinette. Perhaps she’d forgive him and let him make amends.

Who knew? Maybe his rotten luck would have mercy on him for once, and she wouldn’t stay mad at him for long. Maybe they could even patch things up by the end of the week.

“Thanks again for your help, Son.” Tom gave Adrien a pat on the shoulder as they made their way upstairs to the apartment after closing down the bakery for the night.

“I don’t know if I was much help,” Adrien laughed at himself.

Tom rolled his eyes and waved off Adrien’s self-deprecating response. “Sure, you were. You eventually figured out the broom, and you picking up the chairs saved my back the trouble. I’m getting old, Adrien, so every bit helps.”

“You’re not _that_ old,” Adrien snorted. “You’re only in your forties.”

“Still,” Tom laughed, a big, round, boisterous sound that reminded Adrien of his childhood, when things weren’t so lonely and cold. “You helped, so I’m grateful, and I’m proud of you for taking on something new. You kicked that broom’s butt.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Adrien joined in on the laughter, following Tom into the apartment.

“Sabine, look who’s here!” Tom called to his wife.

Adrien couldn’t see her from the doorway, but the simmering and popping sounds coming from the kitchen gave away her location.

Sabine poked her head around the corner, and her eyes widened in alarm when she spotted Adrien.

“Good evening, Madame Cheng,” Adrien greeted tentatively, getting the sinking feeling that Sabine thought she knew exactly of what Adrien was guilty.

“Oh. Adrien…Honey…. I’m afraid that Marinette’s not feeling well, so game night’s been cancelled,” Sabine informed him awkwardly, visibly warring with her dual instincts to be a good host and to get him to leave as soon as possible so that Marinette never had to know that he’d been there.

“Yeah, I let him know,” Tom explained. “I said he could come hang out with us, if he didn’t mind the company of old folks.”

He turned back to Adrien. “Have you eaten yet? You should join us for dinner.”

Adrien looked back and forth between Sabine’s pained expression and Tom’s eager one. “Oh. I…uh—”

“—I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” Sabine interrupted urgently. “With Marinette being sick and everything.”

Tom turned to his wife, confusion carving deep trenches into his brow. “Yes, but, Sabine—”

“—I’m sorry, Adrien, but could I please speak with my husband privately for a minute?” Sabine cast Adrien a pleading smile that was a muddled jumble of embarrassment, guilt, and pity.

Reading the atmosphere, Adrien politely bowed out. “Yes, of course. I’ll just step out into the hall.”

He didn’t mean to eavesdrop as Tom and Sabine held their conversation in whispers. His hearing was just uncannily good nowadays since taking up the mantle of Chat Noir.

“What was that about?” Tom demanded, voice dripping hurt and indignance.

“Tom, we can’t have Adrien over right now,” Sabine whispered regretfully, sounding like she really was sorry to turn Adrien away. “Marinette’s mad at him because he started dating Lila Rossi today.”

Tom let out an incredulous snort. “Oh, come on. It’s probably just a publicity stunt that that rotten excuse for a man who calls himself his father is making him do.”

Adrien winced, a ferocious wave of shame crashing down on him at the fact that Tom thought so poorly of Adrien’s father. Adrien knew that Gabriel didn’t always get passing marks in the father of the year competition, but it hurt to know that things were bad enough that even other people could tell that Adrien didn’t have a good home life.

“Adrien doesn’t have feelings for Lila,” Tom continued, oblivious to Adrien’s pain. “He’s over the moon for our Marinette. If she ever asked him out, he’d die of happiness.”

The pallor of Adrien’s face was quickly replaced by a rampant blush. Apparently, Adrien was completely transparent.

Sabine held up her hands, shaking her head. “You know how Marinette feels about Lila. She feels like Adrien’s betrayed her, and she won’t listen to reason, so we can’t have him over until Marinette cools off a little. We need to be on _her_ side in this.”

Adrien’s heart dropped down into his stomach to be corroded away by acid.

He didn’t know what he’d been thinking coming there, and now he was regretting it immensely.

“So, what are we supposed to do?” Tom challenged. “Just send Adrien away? Back to that empty mansion where they keep him prisoner so he can sit around alone until they let him out for school or work?”

“Tom…” Sabine sighed. “I know. I get it. My heart breaks for him too, but…whose parents are we?”

Chastened, Tom’s gaze dropped to the floor.

“I know,” he muttered wearily. “I know you’re right. It’s just…I’m not convinced he has a single person in this world in his corner, Sabine.”

Adrien’s heart cracked.

It felt like his ears were bleeding, and his skin burned.

_“Didn’t you just tell me that plenty of people cared about me?”_ he thought bitterly and then, more sullenly, _“It serves me right for listening in.”_

Plagg stirred, yanking Adrien out of his dark thoughts.

Without a word, the kwami gave Adrien a look so full of love and support and compassion.

Plagg floated up to nuzzle Adrien’s cheek, and Adrien nuzzled back.

“Thanks,” he whispered, on the edge of tears. “I may not have any people in my corner, but at least I’ve got you, and that’s even better than people, right?”

“You’d better believe it,” Plagg snorted fiercely.

Back in the apartment, Tom kept going: “There’s no one looking out for him, and I just think of when _I_ was young and my mother went away for years at a time and my father stopped talking to me… If I hadn’t had you, Sabine…”

Tom shook his head sadly, and Sabine went over to him, resting supportive hands on his arm and chest.

“I know,” she cooed, patting his arm comfortingly. “I feel for him too. It’s not like we can’t _ever_ be there for him, Tom. Just not right now. We need to focus on Marinette at the moment, and, once things settle down, we can go back to trying to support Adrien. Okay?”

It was quiet for a stretch, and then Tom nodded, heaving a grave sigh. “…Okay. But what are we going to tell him?”

“ _I_ will tell him that we’re very sorry, but you didn’t realize how sick Marinette is because you were busy with the bakery when she came home,” Sabine volunteered. “Since she needs her rest, it wouldn’t be a good idea to have people over to play video games right now. I’ll let him know he’s more than welcome to come back some other day once Marinette is feeling better.”

“Okay,” Tom sighed again, raking a hand through his hair. “Tell him I’m really sorry.”

“I will,” Sabine promised.

“And can we at least send him home with some pastries?” Tom pressed, his voice leaking guilt.

“Of course!” Sabine assured, clicking her tongue. “They don’t feed that poor boy enough.”

Adrien quietly slipped away, descending the staircases quickly on cat’s feet. He couldn’t bear to face them. He didn’t think he could get through it without breaking down in tears of shame, so he snuck out of the bakery, locking the side door behind him.

As he executed his escape, he formulated a plan: go to the park next to the bakery and wait there until a suitable amount of time had passed so that he could call Victor to pick him up without having to admit to being kicked out.

The plan didn’t have a very long shelf life.

As he crossed the street to the park, he happened to look back and spotted Marinette up on her balcony, leaning dejectedly on the railing, fiddling with a rose she’d likely clipped from her flowerbox.

He stood there for an eternal moment, just taking in the sight of her, backlit by the nascent moon.

She sighed heavily enough to make her shoulders lift and drop with the force of it, and then her gaze meandered his way.

She gave a little jolt and straightened up in her surprise when she spotted him.

He lifted a hand in tentative greeting, hoping he didn’t spook her.

She huffed and tossed her head, seemingly offended by the gesture.

She dropped the rose, letting it plummet four stories to the dusty Paris street, and turned on her heel, disappearing back down into her room.

He whipped out his phone and hastily typed, “I can explain”, mentally pleading for mercy.

He waited a few seconds, and, when there was no sign of a reply, he added, “By which I mean that I have an explanation, and it’s a good explanation, but I’m not at liberty to share it with you at the moment.”

He pressed send and looked back up at the balcony, bouncing on the balls of his feet in agitated anticipation, holding his breath as he waited for a response.

Still more seconds ticked by without a reply, so he sent, “You’re just going to have to trust me on this one. Please” as he prayed for clemency.

Finally, three ellipsis points appeared on his screen, signaling that she was typing.

He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart fluttering around his ribcage, making him dizzy.

“leave me alone”

“i don’t want to hear your excuses”

“the last thing i need is to get akumatized and let Lila win so just leave me alone”

Adrien was positive that he looked absolutely crushed because he felt like he’d been gutted.

Shuffling his feet like a zombie, he made his way back across the street to scoop up the battered rose Marinette had dropped.

Cradling it carefully to his chest, he sighed, feeling hopeless.

“Don’t throw in the towel yet, Kid,” Plagg encouraged in a whisper from his hiding spot inside of Adrien’s left shoulder.

“What else can I do?” Adrien scoffed ruefully.

“Maybe not much as Adrien,” Plagg conceded, “but your sweetheart isn’t mad at Chat Noir, is she?”

An ember flickered back to life in Adrien’s eyes, and an impish grin rippled across his lips.

“No,” he chuckled. “She’s not, is she?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably don't need to tell you, but the next chapter is Marichat. ^.^ Look forward to that.
> 
> Did you like the chapter? I enjoyed writing Tom and Adrien interacting.
> 
> A few notes on Tom's character: Tom comes across to me as being a little dense when it comes to reading the mood. In Papa Garou, he totally jumped the gun and took off running once he got an idea in his head. I also think he would really sympathize with Adrien's family situation because his own mother seems like the type to have gone off globe trotting and maybe not have been as present for her son as would be ideal. Meanwhile, Tom's father stopped talking to him for twenty years, so I think Tom would project onto Adrien at least a little and want to be there for him. Tom means well and has his heart in the right place, but he seems bad at reading the atmosphere and reacting appropriately to delicate situations.
> 
> By the way, I know there’s no seating area in the bakery canonically, but I’ve decided that they’ve expanded a little and have added, like, four to six tables and some chairs at some point over the years. I often find it convenient for my plots if there's a seating area at the bakery. XD
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone! Let me know what you thought because getting comments makes me smile. ^.^ Take care, and I'll see you again on Wednesday, 02/24/2021.


	6. Fidelity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marichat fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Thanks for joining me for Chapter Six. I hope you're ready for some Marichat. It was about time that Marinette got some lines in this story, don't you think? ^.^;
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has left kudos or comments or bookmarked the story. It makes me really happy that there are people who enjoy this. I apologize in advance for not replying to all of the comments on the last chapter in a timely fashion. I'm really drained today, but I'll try to reply to all of them before posting the next chapter. Thanks in advance for your patience.
> 
> Enjoy the chapter!
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/). ^.^

Marinette was so engrossed in her sewing project that Tikki had to inform her that Chat Noir was tapping on her skylight.

“What?” She looked up with a jerk, her stitch going crooked as her hands accidentally moved the material.

“Chat Noir’s here,” Tikki repeated, glancing back up towards the skylight. “Or, he might have just left. I don’t hear him knocking anymore.”

Marinette swore under her breath as she pushed herself up out of the chair and sprang into action, ascending the ladder up to her loft at double her normal speed. She didn’t see him at the window, so she pushed it open and pulled herself up onto her balcony.

He turned around from where he’d been leaning on the balcony railing, taking her in with soft eyes she was more used to seeing as Ladybug.

“Uh…hey,” he greeted, raising a hand tentatively.

“Hey.” She blinked, eyes going to the rose in his other hand. “Is that…?”

She pointed.

He followed her gaze, looking down at his own hand in surprise. “Oh. Yeah. Sorry.”

He lifted the rose, holding it out to her as he timidly advanced. “I think you dropped this—I mean, I _know_ you dropped it. I saw you drop it, but… Did you want it back?”

A cloudy expression set into her face as she stepped forward to take the rose and then stared at it thoughtfully.

It didn’t look like her thoughts were positive ones.

“You don’t have to take it back,” he hurriedly added. “I’ll keep it if you don’t want—”

With a jolt like one suddenly waking in the middle of a dream, Marinette’s gaze whipped around to her right, and she began searching the streets below.

“…Uh… If you’re looking for Adrien Agreste, he’s gone,” Chat informed gently, not all together sure that she was even looking for him in the first place.

Marinette looked back to him in surprise. “He is?”

Chat nodded. “I kind of saw the…er…little scene…between you and him. I was here to see you, and I just happened to catch…whatever that was. Sorry.”

She held up her hands and waved them, seeming to come back fully to the present moment and out of her thoughts. “No, it’s okay. It was…” She winced, biting her lip. “It was nothing. Um… Did you want to come in?”

“May I?” He took a hesitant step forward. “I don’t want to bother you. I heard…” His brow furrowed, and he lowered his voice. “I heard a couple things. Are you feeling okay? I heard you were sick.”

She averted her gaze, her cheeks colouring slightly. “Thanks. Yeah, I’m fine. I’m not actually sick. I just…I kind of feel like crap. I probably look like crap,” she laughed ruefully, glancing down at her sweatpants and baggy t-shirt and touching her hair self-consciously.

“You look cute,” he chuckled. “I dig the messy bun.”

She cracked up at that. “Thanks, but it got that way by accident rather than design. It was a fully-functional, respectable-looking bun earlier before I rolled around and pulled on my hair in grief and messed it up.”

He clicked his tongue, waving away her protests. “You’re rocking it, Princess. Trust me. I know what I’m talking about.”

Her lips settled into a soft smile, and she motioned for him to follow her down into her room. “Come in, Minou. I could use a friendly face. For some reason, today, it feels like everyone’s against me.”

“I promise they’re not really,” he attempted to comfort her as they made their way down into her attic bedroom.

She hummed ambivalently, dropping the rose off at her desk before taking a seat on her chaise and gesturing for him to sit at her feet. “Can I play with your hair? Please?”

“Yeah, sure,” he replied, hoping he didn’t sound too eager as he sat between her knees, his back to her.

They sat in silence for a good minute or two, Marinette running her fingers through his hair to comb it and then separating little strands into sections to braid, before she finally spoke up, mumbling, “…Today kind of sucked.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispered a little more balefully than made sense since she didn’t know that he was the chief cause of her strife. “Did you feel like talking about it?”

“No. I mean, yeah, but…” She pursed her lips, shaking her head. “It’s complicated.”

He waited a beat, debating before remarking offhandedly, as if he had no personal stake in the matter, “…I hear that Adrien Agreste is persona non grata around here. Apparently he’s dating that awful Lila girl?”

“Lila freaking Rossi,” Marinette hissed. “I don’t know what the heck is the matter with him. How can he just…? She is _worse_ than awful, Chat Noir. She’s a bully and a liar and—ugh. I don’t even,” she growled. “How can he even stand to let her touch him? He _knows_ what she’s like, and still he…he…” Marinette petered out with another “Ugh!” of frustration.

Chat swallowed hard, guilt wrapping its fingers around his heart and squeezing painfully. “Maybe…Maybe there’s some piece to the puzzle that you’re missing,” he suggested cautiously. “Maybe he has a good reason. Maybe he doesn’t have a choice.”

“There’s always a choice,” she pouted sullenly, her temper cooling somewhat. “He could stand up for himself and say no for once. He’s always been like this, Chat Noir. He never wants to cause trouble, and he always avoids confrontation. He’s spineless.”

Chat winced, feeling the jab slide clean between his ribs and puncture a lung.

“He just appeases everyone and lets them walk all over him. It makes me sick sometimes to watch him cave without a word. I don’t know what I ever saw in him, and I don’t know why I put my faith in him,” she muttered bitterly.

“Maybe it’s more complicated than you think,” he offered in a flimsy attempt at self-defence. “I’m sorry he let you down, Marinette. You’re totally within your rights to be angry, but you can’t know what’s going on inside his head. Maybe he has a good reason, and you’ll feel bad later for being so harsh on him.”

“Yeah, maybe.” She blew out a long sigh, dropping her arms from his hair to loosely hang around his neck and resting her head on top of his. “I’m just really hurting right now, Chaton. He was the one person I thought I could count on in my struggle with Lila, so I’m feeling utterly betrayed,” she whimpered. “It’s hard to give him the benefit of the doubt when I can’t imagine any circumstance that would compel him to date _her_.”

Chat closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe through the aching pain in his chest. It killed him to sit there useless while she was hurting—while _he_ was hurting her. But he couldn’t explain himself. She’d insist that he stop, and then what would have been the point of submitting to Lila’s ever-increasing demands over the years?

He had to see this through to the finish.

“I’m sorry, Princess,” he whispered helplessly. “I wish I could do something to make it better for you. Know that I would do _anything_ to make it better.”

“Well,” she chuckled halfheartedly, trying to lighten the mood. “You could start by not trying to make me behave rationally and think about things from Adrien’s point of view. It would be easier if I could just demonize him and lash out at him with all of my righteous fury.”

“Sorry to take away your scapegoat,” he laughed weakly.

“Yeah,” she teased, giving his hair a little nuzzle. “Whose side are you on, anyway? Mine or his?”

He twisted around to face her, kneeling at her feet and gazing up at her earnestly. “ _Yours_ ,” he stressed, desperate for her to believe him. “Yours. Always yours, even when it doesn’t feel like it.”

She blinked at him, taken aback by his vehemence.

Slowly, a warm, genuine smile danced across her lips, and she leaned in to brush a delicate kiss against his forehead. “Thank you.”

His heart nearly exploded as she pulled back and smiled down at him with a soft look that made him think that maybe he had a chance after all.

“Yeah. I mean, yeah. Anytime,” he replied dumbly, struggling to get his brain and his mouth to work in concert. “You’re welcome. Always.”

She laughed—a light, airy sound that made his heart soar—and it was obvious from the smug look on her face that she could tell how smitten he was.

He couldn’t bring himself to care. So what if she knew she had him at her mercy? He trusted her with his heart.

“Wanna play video games?” she inquired, breaking him out of his reverie.

He blinked at her, his brain still scrambled from the memory of her lips against his skin.

“If you have time,” she hastened to add, nerves flaring up at his lack of a response. “I mean, I know you’re busy what with saving Paris and regular life stuff, but…if you weren’t doing anything, I was supposed to be hanging out with my friends tonight, only that’s not happening because Adrien is a traitor, so if you wanted to hang out, play some Smash Brothers, have dinner with me and my family, snuggle on the couch and watch movies…? I could use the company,” she confessed.

“Yes to all of the above,” he replied enthusiastically, finally getting a handle on how his mouth functioned again.

Adrien was still floating on cloud nine when he returned home several hours later.

Lila had pressured Adrien into agreeing to come up with a romantic surprise for her in response to Adrien’s claim that Nino had been consulting with Adrien about a surprise for Alya the previous day (since Adrien was, allegedly, so good at that kind of thing), and Adrien did not aim to disappoint.

He escorted Lila to her locker where she found beautiful [orange lilies](https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/10-flowers-never-give-anyone/) inside.

“Oh, Adrien!” Lila squealed, leaping into his arms and giving his cheek a joyful kiss. “They’re beautiful!”

He couldn’t tell if she were just putting on a show or if she were genuinely pleased with the gift.

She was certainly satisfied with the response of the other students as they cooed and raved about how sweet Adrien was, what a cute couple he and Lila made.

Marinette stood apart from the others, looking on in a mix of resentment and pensiveness.

Adrien wondered if she knew anything about the meanings of flowers. If so, she might know that orange lilies were not a nice gift. Perhaps she was wondering if _Adrien_ knew the implications of the flowers he had given his girlfriend.

She caught him gazing at her and turned away, going to her own locker. Once there, she gave a start, a soft gasp escaping her lips when she spotted the sunflowers, tucked inside and waiting for her with a little note attached.

Adrien’s heartbeat quickened a little at the pleased smile gracing her lips and the rosy blush rising in her cheeks.

Alya was the first to notice Marinette’s surprise and draw the attention of the others.

“What’s this, Girl? A secret admirer?” she trilled excitedly.

“Alya, don’t—” barely made it past Marinette’s lips as Alya swiped the card and read aloud, “‘For my Princess. I hope these sunflowers brighten your day, even though they’re not half as radiant as you are. Much love from your not-so-secret admirer.’”

The girls chattered excitedly all at once, completely forgetting about Lila to join in the speculation about Marinette’s mystery boy.

Lila turned a venomous glare on Adrien, hissing dangerously under her breath, “Your ‘ _Princess_ ’, is she? You did this on purpose to upstage me, didn’t you?”

Adrien frowned, leveraging all of his acting skills to feign wounded innocence. “Hey, I don’t know why you’re looking at _me_ like that. Those flowers aren’t from me.”

Lila’s eyes narrowed, scanning him intently.

“He’s just a friend,” Marinette insisted over the din of her friends. “Just a close friend that I play video games online with. He’s a total flirt. He’s not even serious. He knows I had a rough day yesterday, and he was just trying to cheer me up.”

The girls didn’t seem to buy Marinette’s story entirely, but her persistent denials seemed to mollify all but Alya.

“Oh, Honey. I think _he’s_ serious, even if you’re not,” Alya hummed skeptically, pitying the poor boy who had fallen for her rather oblivious best friend.

The other girls joined in with sympathetic hums of their own.

Adrien turned to Lila. “I feel like you owe me an apology for your accusations of infidelity.”

“How about not?” Lila growled quietly, shoving her books roughly into Adrien’s arms as she continued to seethe over Marinette inadvertently stealing the spotlight.

The week stretched on with, luckily, only a few minor incidents to mark it.

Marinette continued to hold a grudge against Adrien, but she was more than happy to spend her evenings with Chat Noir.

He was glad that he could help her feel less alone, even if it were just in some small way, and the time he passed with her was a balm for him too.

It was a relief, after dealing with Lila’s ever-increasingly ridiculous demands all day, to cuddle and watch Disney and Studio Ghibli movies with Marinette, to bake cookies together, to play niche video games, or just to sit in her room working on separating things but enjoying the other’s presence.

Nino kept giving Adrien worried glances, looking like he was _this close_ to saying something several times a day.

It made Adrien sick with anxiety.

He shouldn’t have told Nino. It felt like he had [the sword of Damocles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles#Sword_of_Damocles) hanging over his head and never knew when it would drop, when Nino would break his promise and try to tell everyone about Lila, ruining years’ worth of Adrien’s sacrifices and hard work to protect Marinette.

If Nino asked him if he were okay one more time, Adrien was going to cry.

All he could do was lie and say he was fine, all the while knowing that Nino _knew_ he was lying.

“Just don’t say anything to anyone,” Adrien kept repeating, and Nino would nod, assuring, “Yeah. No. I won’t.”

But Adrien could see the way Nino tensed around Lila, how he clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes whenever she invaded Adrien’s personal space or asked him to do things for her.

The week was rough and already wearing Adrien down by the end of it.

He felt sick with guilt over hurting Marinette and sick with fear about when Nino was going to crack and spill the beans. That wasn’t even taking into account the hell Lila was putting him through.

Lila was steadily getting worse. She was growing bolder with her public displays of affection to the point where Adrien was genuinely uncomfortable.

The casual touches and the expectation of cheek kisses had quickly crossed the line. More than anything, he was sick of the sensation of Lila clinging to him. The constant contact and her weight and her warmth made his skin crawl. He couldn’t wait for evening to come so his personal space could be his own again to share (or not share) as _he_ saw fit.

Adrien had always been a little touch-starved, but, now, physical contact was something he found himself recoiling from, sometimes even with Marinette.

On the third day, Lila made Adrien move to the back of the class to sit with her, and it was torture to be separated from his friends. Classes had been a brief reprieve from Lila’s presence, an oasis where he didn’t have to think about her for hours at a time, but, now, even that solace was stolen from him.

He missed passing notes with Nino and the little sweets his best friend would often share.

Adrien had considered it a victory when, the previous year, he’d convinced his father to allow him to eat lunch at school with his friends. Now, he found himself wishing he could go home for lunch again because Lila had gotten it into her head that she needed to sit on Adrien’s lap and that they needed to feed one another to show what a lovey-dovey couple they were.

Adrien was quickly finding that he had little appetite during the day. He scarfed down leftover baked goods from Tom and Sabine’s as well as whatever the Dupain-Chengs had for dinner in the evenings when he visited Marinette, but he couldn’t keep much down during the day.

The smell of Lila’s cloyingly sweet floral perfume made him feel nauseated.

He wasn’t sure how much more he could take, but he was certain that something had to give, and soon.

He was afraid it was going to be _him_.

Adrien was at his breaking point, so maybe that’s why, when Ladybug asked what was wrong that Sunday on patrol, he gave in so easily and spilled his guts to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. That was kind of a downer ending, wasn't it? ^.^; Next chapter is Lady Noir hurt/comfort and Adrienette fluff, though, so I hope you'll look forward to that. But how was the chapter? What did you think?
> 
> In case you didn’t check the link, orange lilies can mean disdain and pride, so they’re not a very nice flower to give to someone. I, personally, love orange lilies, so I wouldn’t be offended. Not a lot of people know flower meanings, so it’s not really a big deal in this day and age, but Adrien reads a lot of old books from when flower language was a popular thing, so this is a fun way of getting back at Lila with impunity.
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone. I'll see you again on Saturday, 02/27/2021. Take care!
> 
> References:  
> Orange Lily: https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/10-flowers-never-give-anyone/  
> Sword of Damocles: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damocles#Sword_of_Damocles


	7. Floodgates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat Noir tells Ladybug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. Happy weekend. I'm sorry that I'm still behind on replying to your comments. -.-; I've been really overwhelmed lately. I'm going to try to catch up, though. In the meantime, thank you for leaving comments anyway, and thank you to everyone who's leaving kudos, bookmarking the story, or sharing it with others. I really appreciate your support. ^.^
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chapter Seven!
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).

“Okay,” Ladybug sighed heavily fifteen minutes into their patrol that Sunday night. “I know why _I’m_ in a crumby mood, but why are _you_ so lifeless, Chat Noir? You’ve been really off all week.”

His brow furrowed in confusion, trying to think of when he’d seen her that week for her to notice that something was not right with him. He quickly shook it off, reasoning that it didn’t really matter. Maybe he’d been distracted the last time they’d seen each other and now she was lumping that in with the mood she’d noticed at present.

“It’s…kind of complicated,” he explained without explaining.

Her run slowed to a stop, and she turned to look at him with those piercingly perceptive blue eyes. “Want to talk about it?”

He bit his lip, hesitating.

Telling Nino had ended disastrously…but would it really hurt to tell Ladybug? He was getting to the point where he needed to vent, and Ladybug was a safe choice. She didn’t know who he was, so there was no way she could interfere.

“…Yeah,” he eventually decided. “Okay. Let’s talk. It’s kind of a long story, so do you want to go sit somewhere?”

She nodded and motioned for him to follow her.

They came to a stop on the roof of the school, and Ladybug sank unceremoniously into a cross-legged position, patting the space beside her.

“It’s actually pretty comfortable, let me assure you,” she chuckled, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

“Not bad,” he confirmed as he took a seat with his legs stretched out in front of him.

“So, what’s up?” she prodded gently. “You seem like you have a lot on your mind.”

He nodded, exhaling long and slow. “Yeah. You don’t even know the half of it.”

“So tell me.” She nudged his shoulder with her own.

“You go first,” he insisted. “Tell me why you’re in a crumby mood, and I’ll tell you about what’s eating me alive from the inside out.”

“Oh, it’s not really a big deal,” Ladybug sighed, looking away. “Just my friend, this guy that I kind of have a crush on, has gone totally insane. He’s dating my arch-nemesis now.”

Chat Noir arched an eyebrow. “He’s dating _Papillon_?” he snorted incredulously. “Yikes. Your friend has some seriously poor taste.”

She cracked up, shaking her head. “No, no. _Worse_ than Papillon. I swear this girl got kicked out of hell because she bullied the devil too much, but my friend’s, like, in love with her now or something…” The levity abruptly dropped out of her voice, replaced by an aching sadness. “…so I don’t think we’re going to be friends anymore.”

“I’m sorry,” he quietly consoled her, reaching out to rub soothing circles between her shoulder blades. “That really sucks, Ladybug…. It’s hard growing apart from people you were close to,” he whispered, thinking of his own moribund relationship with Chloé. “I’m really sorry.”

“It’s okay.” She sighed again in resignation. “He’s got the patience of a saint, but I don’t think even _he_ can stand her for too long. One of these days, he’s going to wake up, realize he’s made the biggest mistake of his life, and come crawling back to me to ask my forgiveness and beg to be my friend again.”

“I hope so.” He gave her back a pat and then withdrew his hand.

“So…” She tipped her head at him expectantly. “I told you my problem; now, you tell me yours.”

He grimaced, looking down at the empty street below. “I’ve…kind of gotten myself into a mess. You’re going to freak.”

“What happened? Are you okay?” she pressed, all teasing gone from her tone and expression.

He seesawed his hand back and forth in a “so-so” gesture. “I’m…I don’t know. I just bit off more than I can chew. I thought I could go toe to toe with her, but…”

He shook his head.

“Start from the beginning,” Ladybug instructed.

Chat took a deep breath. “The beginning. Right…. So…there’s this girl I’m in love with.”

Taken aback, Ladybug gave a start and blinked rapidly. “You’re…in love?”

He nodded, a secretive smile coming to his lips as he thought about Marinette. “Yeah. Like…disgustingly in love. I would do _anything_ for her.”

“Oh,” Ladybug replied weakly, struggling to keep her heartbreak from showing.

“I mean, a part of me will always love you, Ladybug, but I long ago decided to respect your wishes, and I think it turned out for the best because…Princess is _the_ _one_ ,” he admitted, feeling a rush just talking about her.

Ladybug blinked. “‘P-Princess’?”

He nodded. “I mean, I can’t tell you her actual name, so…‘Princess’ is what I call her.”

She briefly wondered if he called anyone else “Princess”. Could it really be true that he had fallen in love with her twice?

“She’s so amazing, Ladybug. You’d like her. I’ve liked her for a long time…probably a couple years, actually. I just…I didn’t realize it right away, but now…” He laughed at himself, the giddiness going to his head. “I’m such a goner. So, anyway. We’re friends, and she doesn’t know how I feel…yet. I’m scared of messing things up, and she’s so out of my league, but… Then, there’s this other girl…. Let’s call her Jasmin.”

“Jasmin,” Ladybug repeated, trying to match the pseudonym to someone she knew.

“Yeah,” Chat sighed. “Jasmin is a huge bully.”

The bottom dropped out of her stomach as she recognized Lila.

It occurred to her that she should probably stop him. He could potentially give too much away, not realizing that she’d seen through the false names and knew the people whom he was talking about.

She didn’t stop him, though. She told herself that she was worried about him. He’d been so _wrong_ all week, and he seemed to need to get whatever this was off his chest. She needed to be there for him and figure out what was wrong so that she could fix it.

She didn’t believe the lies she told to make herself feel better. She knew she was a bad person for taking advantage of the situation, but she couldn’t help her need to know what Chat had to say about Lila and Marinette.

“No one knows she’s secretly a bad person, though,” he informed unsuspectingly. “Jasmin has them all fooled…except Princess. Princess saw through her and tried to expose Jasmin, but it didn’t go over well, so now Jasmin has this vendetta against Princess.”

Ladybug nodded to show she was following along. “That’s…that’s awful.”

“Yeah.” Chat blew out a breath and carded a clawed hand carefully through his hair. “It’s…awful doesn’t begin to cover it. Jasmin is seriously dangerous. She’s threatened to spread rumors that would ruin Princess’s reputation, her career prospects, her friendships…everything. Jasmin is well-connected, unfortunately, so she’s kind of a powerful enemy. I’ve been afraid that she was actually going to physically hurt Princess before a couple times.”

“Oh my gosh,” Ladybug whispered hollowly, feeling ill.

“That’s where I come in,” he informed ruefully, obviously regretting his part in all of this.

She tipped her head to the side, brow furrowing as she stared at him uncomprehendingly. “What do you mean?”

He bit his lip. “I go to school with them…and I’m Jasmin’s coworker.”

Ladybug sucked in a sharp breath, internally beginning to panic.

This was too much. She had to stop him. He was giving too much away.

“I’ve been making deals with Jasmin for years to keep her at bay,” he groaned. “Otherwise, there’s no telling what she would have done to Princess.”

All previous thoughts left Ladybug’s mind as she gawked dumbly at her partner, trying to understand what he had just told her. “Wait. What? Deals? What deals?”

He had been making deals with Lila? For _her_ sake?

“At first it was nothing,” he snorted bitterly. “I just had to pretend to be friends with her, introduce her to industry contacts, appear at events with her, not say anything bad about her. I didn’t think anything of it because it was a small price to pay for Princess’s safety.”

He turned to face her, and she could see the fear in his eyes. “What else was I supposed to do? I’m not very powerful by myself, but that was the one card I had to play. A couple years ago, Jasmin carried out this character assassination plot that got Princess expelled. If I could fix things with a small sacrifice, I owed it to Princess to make it. She’s done so much for me, Ladybug. She doesn’t even _know_.”

“So you got her un-expelled,” Ladybug breathed, putting the pieces together. “You saved her.”

He laughed halfheartedly at that. “Princess mostly saves herself. I just got Jasmin to back off and get the expulsion reversed in exchange for pretending to be Jasmin’s friend.”

“No,” Ladybug insisted, resting a hand on Chat’s forearm. “You _saved_ her.”

The shadow of a smile tugged at his lips. “Well…maybe a little. I hope so, at least. She’s certainly saved _me_ more times than I can count.”

“I bet she loves you,” Ladybug hummed happily, fully intending to kiss Chat Noir silly the next time he came to visit Marinette.

Surprisingly, Chat scoffed at the assertion. “Actually, I’m pretty sure she hates me.”

“What?! No! Absolutely not. She has to be crazy about you,” she insisted, trying to recall what she had done the last time they’d seen one another that would give him the impression that she did anything less than adore him.

“Jasmin’s latest price for Princess’s safety is that I have to pretend to be her boyfriend,” he grumbled, steeling himself for his partner’s reaction.

Ladybug’s hands dropped limply to her sides as everything started to come together. She felt numb. It was like the shock of suddenly losing a limb; the pain was too overwhelming to be felt, so she sat there staring, barely managing to find her voice to whisper a strangled, “What?”

“Princess thinks I betrayed her, and she hates me now. She won’t talk to me. She’ll barely look at me, and, when she does, it’s with pure disgust. It’s killing me, Ladybug,” he whimpered, barely holding it together as his whole body from his ears to his tail slumped, wilting.

“No,” she choked, shaking her head futilely as she started to process what Adrien was doing for her and how she had repaid him. “Oh, no. Nononono.”

“I wish I could explain myself, but I can’t.” He picked up his tail and started playing with tip mindlessly. “She’d stop me if she knew…. Part of me wishes someone would stop me because it’s getting unbearable,” he laughed mirthlessly. “It’s only been a week, but I don’t know how much more I can take.”

She couldn’t breathe, and she was fairly certain that she was going to be sick. She almost wished she had never learned the truth because it was too painful to imagine everything Adrien had been suffering for her sake all of this time while Marinette had always held his seemingly amicable relationship with Lila against him.

She’d had no idea.

“I can’t stand it when she touches me,” he confessed with a shudder. “It’s like that pins and needles sensation when your foot falls asleep all over, and she’s getting bolder about it as time goes on. She sits on my lap at lunch, and it’s made me completely lose my appetite.”

Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she realized how spectacularly she had failed him.

“It’s gotten to the point where I’m physically starting to feel unwell,” he lamented, “but what choice do I have? Jasmin could destroy Princess’s entire career…. So, I just have to put up with it.”

He gave a resigned sigh, bowing his head in defeat.

Finding her strength, Ladybug reached out and grabbed hold of his forearm. “No. You absolutely do not. This ends here.”

“Ladybug,” he sighed, shaking his head in protest. “You don’t understand.”

“No, Adrien,” she corrected mournfully. “I think I finally _do_.”

His eyes shot open wide in panic, and an involuntary curse slipped past his lips. “You weren’t supposed to find out. How…?”

She shook her head, pulling him to his feet and asserting, “We need to talk,” as she half dragged him across the school’s roof in the direction of the bakery.

“Ladybug, where are we going?” he inquired warily as Marinette’s house came into view.

“Relax,” she commanded, grabbing him around the waist with one arm while the other threw her yoyo.

“Ladybug, no!” yelped as their destination became clear. “Don’t you dare tell her! I told you all that in confidence!”

“Adrien, settle down and get in here,” she grunted when he began to struggle in her arms as they touched down on the balcony.

“She can never know. Don’t you dare rat me out!” he growled, losing the battle as she pulled him down the skylight.

They landed on Marinette’s bed in a jumble, and Chat continued to fight in an attempt to get away until Ladybug muttered, “Detransformation,” and Chat Noir found himself in Marinette’s arms instead of Ladybug’s.

He blinked at her dumbly. “…Oh.” And then cursed a second time.

“Yeah,” she chuckled through rampant tears that would no longer be restrained. “Oh, Adrien, how could you, you idiot? All this time?”

She shook her head, burying her face in his chest. “You absolute idiot.”

“I _had_ to,” he tried to convince her, losing his focus as she wrapped around him like a baby koala.

“I’m so sorry I never realized…” she hiccupped, regaining some semblance of her composure. “…that I never saw how you were suffering. I was so caught up in my own problems, in my own head, that I never thought…”

She pulled back to look at him, taking his face in her hands. “Detransform. Please?”

He closed his eyes and hesitantly complied, cracking them open slowly to observe her reaction.

She wore a warm smile, and there was a softness to her eyes as she whispered, “Adrien Agreste, you’re my hero, and I love you—both of you—so much…even if you are an idiot.”

“ _Your_ idiot…if you’ll have me?” he offered tentatively with a nervous gulp.

“That’s all I’ve ever wanted,” she assured, inching closer to press her lips to his.

He surged into the kiss, savoring her warmth, her softness, her strawberries and oatmeal scent. He took note of the way her fingers dug into his arm and shoulder, the way she arched her back, pressing into him.

The heat of her breath on his face when they pulled back momentarily made him dizzy. It was sensory overload—too much and yet not enough at the same time.

They lost themselves in kiss after kiss until frenzied turned to languid and they were left sleepy and content in one another’s arms.

“…I’m sorry,” Marinette whispered, finally breaking the long silence as she gently played with Adrien’s hair and stroked his cheek.

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” he assured, surprised that she was still thinking about it.

She shook her head. “No. I should have believed in you. I should have trusted you. I’m really ashamed that I turned on you so quickly.”

He shrugged, looking down at her collarbone, not meeting her eyes. “It’s okay…. I mean…it wasn’t really, but it all worked out, I guess, so…I don’t know. Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past now.”

She tipped his chin up to force him to look at her. “Thank you. For everything you’ve done to protect me.”

“I would do _anything_ for you,” he repeated what he had told Ladybug before. “I’m serious. I would do it all again.”

“I know, but you don’t have to. Never again,” she promised. “It’s over, and now it’s time for me to protect you. She will never lay a hand on you ever again.”

“Marinette,” he sighed wearily. “You knowing doesn’t change anything. I have to do what she wants; otherwise, she’s going to ruin you.”

“Let her try,” she snorted. “I don’t care, Adrien. Let her do whatever she wants. We’re done letting her win. Let her do her worst to me, but she can’t have you anymore. We’re not playing her game.”

He frowned, unspoken worries filling his mind and reflecting in his eyes. “Are you sure about this?”

She nodded, smiling bravely. “No matter what she does, we won’t lose. We have one another. We’ll figure this out, and everything will be okay in the end. You’ll see.”

He hesitated for a moment, but then a tentative smile parted his lips. “…All right, My Lady. If there’s one thing I trust, it’s our partnership. So long as we’re in this together.”

“Always,” she assured, leaning in for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! The beginning of the happy ending. ^.^ What did you think?
> 
> By the way, Jasmin means “jasmine”…which you probably guessed. Adrien picks a flower name as Lila's pseudonym because Lila (lilas) means “lilac”.
> 
> The next chapter skips to the next morning, so the part where they sort out Marinette being in love with Adrien and turning Chat Noir down due to her feelings for his civilian self and then her falling for Chat Noir anyway as well as Adrien explaining how he realized his feelings for Marinette as he started to look at people besides Ladybug kind of gets skipped in the main body of the text. That doesn't mean that it didn't happen. I'm just not writing it all out because it's not really necessary to shoehorn that in.
> 
> Anyway! I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thank you very much for reading, guys. I'll see you again on Wednesday, 03/03/2021, for the penultimate chapter. Hopefully I'll be caught up on replying to comments by then. Apologies again.
> 
> Take care, everyone!


	8. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The truth comes out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys. How’s it going? I hope you’re ready for the penultimate chapter. Thank you again to each of you who has been leaving comments, giving the story kudos, or bookmarking the story. I really appreciate your support. <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy Chapter Eight! ^.^
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).

Adrien woke a little before sunrise with strands of hair in his mouth and Marinette’s pointy collarbone probably leaving an imprint on his cheek.

He was a little too warm, despite the fact that they had fallen asleep snuggling on top of the covers, and his street clothes felt stiff and uncomfortable.

Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to move. He wanted to lie there with Marinette forever, memorizing her scent and tracing constellations out of the moles on her arm. He didn’t want to return to the rest of the world…reality…Lila.

Marinette breathed in deeply, shifting beneath him and blinking heavy eyelids open.

Reluctantly, Adrien lifted his head and smiled down at her in awe.

“Good morning, My Princess,” he whispered, his breath causing her hair to stir ever so slightly.

She grinned up at him, barely able to contain her joy at this proof that it hadn’t all been a dream.

“Good morning, Chaton,” she chuckled, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair.

He let himself float in that moment, indulging himself just a bit before he forced himself to look up at the alarm clock on the shelf above Marinette’s bed in order to confirm what he already knew.

“I should go,” he sighed, already missing her. “I need to get back before they come to wake me.”

“Okay,” she unwillingly agreed, even though if she could have had her way, they would never have to be separated.

She lifted her lips to his in a quick, bolstering kiss. “Come pick me up on your way to school. We’ll go face this together.”

“You’re not going to make me late, are you?” he snickered teasingly.

She rolled her eyes and batted him on the arm. “I’ll be early.”

“Mmhm,” he hummed with a smirk that revealed how little faith he had in her ability to get up on time.

“I will,” she insisted. “Now go, you silly cat. Don’t get caught…. I’ll be waiting for you.”

He stole another quick kiss, assuring, “I’ll look forward to it, My Lady.”

He transformed with a wink and escaped through the skylight.

When Adrien returned a few short hours later, he didn’t expect Marinette to be ready.

He came in through the bakery and noted how slow it seemed for a Monday morning. Perhaps the first wave of the rush had already hit and this was just the lull between periods of manic chaos.

Adrien waved to Théo Barbot at the register (that man seemed to have part-time jobs everywhere) and wondered if he still had a crush on Ladybug.

Théo gave a polite nod back and bid him good morning.

Tom came out from around back just then with a fresh tray of baguettes and stopped when he spotted Adrien.

He turned to Théo, handing him the tray. “Can you man the ship alone for about ten minutes? Thanks. Call up if it gets too crazy.”

Without waiting for Théo to respond, Tom turned to Adrien and motioned for him to follow.

“Marinette is shoveling down her breakfast at the moment, but she should be finished soon,” he informed as he led Adrien through the back and up the stairs to the apartment.

“No worries,” Adrien assured with a fond chuckle. “I figured she’d be at least a little late, but I don’t mind. We’ve still got plenty of time.”

“This is actually a record for her,” Tom hummed distractedly.

It was then that Adrien noticed the lack of the usual joviality in Tom’s voice and the tension knotting up his broad shoulders.

Adrien gulped. “…So…what exactly did Marinette tell you about why we’re friends again now?”

Tom sighed, opening the apartment door for Adrien. “She told us the truth.”

“Oh,” Adrien breathed, voice tight, throat dry.

His insides twisted up when saw the tormented look in Tom’s eyes.

Adrien looked away and slunk inside of the apartment, muttering, “It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”

He could see in Tom’s eyes that he was blaming himself, beating himself up for not knowing, not realizing something was wrong, not helping.

Adrien appreciated that Tom cared so much, but, at the same time, it was painful. It poked at the old, infected wound in Adrien’s heart that knew that his own father’s reaction would be so far divorced from Tom’s. It just reminded Adrien of what he _should_ have…what he didn’t have…what he would never have.

“Adrien!” Marinette cried through a mouthful of granola and yogurt, scrambling up from the table and nearly upsetting her chair and her drinking chocolate as she rushed towards her boyfriend.

Adrien’s mood immediately lifted as he caught her in his arms and spun her around.

“I missed you so much,” he chuckled into her hair, squeezing her just as tightly as she was squeezing him.

She pulled back with a laugh. “You _just_ saw me.”

He shrugged. “So what? I bet you missed me too, didn’t you?”

She averted her gaze in an attempt to hide her blush, claiming, “Lucky guess,” as she poked the tip of his nose, making him smile harder.

“Marinette?” Sabine called from the kitchen. “Why don’t you finish your breakfast, Dear? You don’t want to make Adrien late.”

“Coming,” Marinette called back, giving Adrien a quick kiss on the cheek before returning to her meal.

Sabine stepped out of the kitchen wearing a serious expression that made Adrien shudder. She was angry, and Adrien had seen her use a bread peel as a weapon before, so he was concerned for the safety of whomever she had in her sights.

“Adrien, may we talk to you?” It wasn’t so much a question as a politely disguised pronouncement. They were going to talk whether he wanted to or not.

He wondered if this was what it felt like to have a real parent, one who took an interested, hands-on approach to raising a child.

Suddenly, he wasn’t sure if he liked it or if what he had seemed better.

“Can we…not?” he pleaded through a grimace.

Sabine shook her head, closing the distance between them and pulling him into a hug.

And then Tom was there too, and they were both holding Adrien and petting his hair and his cheeks and swaying from side to side, and Adrien was trying not to cry and failing pathetically.

Silent tears dribbled down his cheeks as he sniffled and tried to protest, “I’m fine”.

“It’s all right, Son,” Tom soothed, giving Adrien’s back a supportive pat. “It’s going to be okay.”

Sabine pulled back just enough to look up at Adrien while still keeping her hands on his arms. “Adrien, Honey, what’s been happening to you _isn’t_ okay. This is very serious. Now, have you told anyone about this? Your father? A teacher?”

Adrien shook his head, keeping his eyes averted. “No one would believe me, even if I did tell them. I mean, I told Nino last week, but I made him swear not to say anything because everyone would be on Lila’s side, and then she’d find out I told, and she’d hurt Marinette, so…”

He looked back up at Sabine with entreating eyes. “I’d really rather we just deal with this privately. I really am fine. I don’t want this to be a big deal because it’s really not.”

Tom and Sabine exchanged a look, having an entire conversation without words.

“Adrien, it really is,” Tom stressed, placing his hand on Adrien’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

Sabine nodded in resolute agreement. “I personally think this is a matter for the authorities, but we’re at least going to talk to your father.”

“Good luck getting an appointment,” Adrien snorted darkly.

“Oh, Adrien,” Sabine sighed, pulling him back into a hug. “It breaks my heart that you didn’t feel like there was a single person you could trust with this.”

“You should have told someone,” Tom added gently. “This is a problem for adults to deal with. You shouldn’t have had to go it alone for so long.”

“How could I go to an adult when the adults were initially the ones causing the problem by believing Lila over Marinette?” Adrien wondered bitterly. “There wasn’t anyone _to_ trust.”

“It’s okay now,” Marinette cooed, sliding back in on Adrien’s left to loosely slip her arms around his waist. “We’re going to be okay, and, going forward, you know you can come to us with anything, right?”

“We’re here for you, Son,” Tom promised, giving Adrien’s shoulder another squeeze.

“Whatever you need,” Sabine insisted with a soft, affectionate look in her eyes that reminded him of when he was small and believed nothing bad could ever happen to him so long as his mother was holding his hand.

“Thanks,” Adrien hiccupped, feeling completely out of his element.

He didn’t know what to do with so much unconditional love and support, and he wasn’t exactly sure he trusted them yet.

A lot of people had let him down spectacularly over the years. He wasn’t sure that Tom and Sabine would be any different…but he was willing to give them a chance.

“Please let me handle this,” Adrien begged after he’d cleaned his face up and he and Marinette were walking the block to school.

Marinette gave his hand a squeeze even as she snorted in discontent. “Fine, but know that I’m conscientiously objecting to this. I’d rather rip her face off and expose her as a fraud and a predator in front of the whole school.”

“Ladybug can’t go around ripping people’s faces off,” Adrien snickered softly into her ear as he pressed a grateful kiss to the side of her head.

“No, but _Marinette_ can,” she countered.

“No,” he chuckled. “Marinette can’t either.”

“Don’t think your lawyers could get me off on the charges?” she hummed teasingly.

He rolled his eyes. “Seriously, though. I don’t want this to be a big deal. I don’t want a scene, and I don’t want her to turn into an akuma. I just want this to be over as quietly and painlessly as possible.”

“…Okay,” she agreed in earnest as they climbed the school steps. “I know. I get it. I just…want her to suffer like she’s made you suffer.”

Adrien shook his head. “Taking revenge never ends well. Besides, she’s not going to change for the better if you expose and humiliate her. Have you ever heard of ‘kill them with kindness’ or ‘malicious compliance’?”

Marinette arched an eyebrow. “I’m guessing you’re a master at both.”

“I am, indeed,” he affirmed as they went through the main entrance and began their trek across the courtyard.

Most of their classmates were gathered off to the side, clustered around one of the benches upon which Nino was standing, addressing the crowd.

“Wonder what they’re up to,” Marinette hummed.

Chloé was the first to spot them, and, when she did, she made a mad dash for Adrien, leaping through the air so that he had to let go of Marinette’s hand and catch her.

“Adri-chou!!!” she cried. “Why did you never tell me?!”

“Tell you what?” Adrien responded, totally perplexed.

“I can’t believe this,” Alya declared, shaking her head.

Others were shaking their heads too, and their faces all showed anger, distress, or shellshocked expressions.

“That doesn’t sound like something Lila would do at all,” Kim agreed, looking around at the others for confirmation.

“I always knew I hated that witch,” Chloé seethed as Adrien put her down. “I’m going to have Daddy throw her in prison for this. She’s not going to get away with it.”

All the blood drained from Adrien’s face as he turned a look of befuddled, betrayed disbelief on his best friend. “ _Ni_ noooo! How could you?! You promised not to say anything!”

“Mec, I just couldn’t stay silent and watch anymore. I’m sorry.” He shrugged his shoulders helplessly, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.

“I told you they wouldn’t believe me,” Adrien groaned, looking to Marinette who took his hand back in hers and gave it a squeeze in solidarity.

“Adrien,” Alya begged, “is Nino for real? Tell me that this is a joke.”

“Of course it’s real!” Chloé snapped, stepping protectively in front of Adrien. “How could you doubt Adrien like that?! I’ve been trying to tell you all along that Lila was garbage, but you all didn’t listen. Now just look what she’s done to Adrien.”

Marinette stepped in to back Chloé up and add some credibility to her outburst of temper. “It’s all true. Lila’s been a liar from the very beginning. All the things she’s said she’s done, all the people she says she knows…it’s all a lie.”

The class stared, dumbstruck, and then, as one, they turned to Adrien.

He took a deep breath. “I know it’s my word against hers, but what Nino told you is true. Lila’s been blackmailing me for years so that I’d be friendly with her in exchange for her not trying to hurt Marinette or spreading malicious rumors about her. Lila’s latest price increase was for me to pretend to date her.”

Confused whispers began to buzz amongst the class as they each grappled with this perspective-warping information.

“There you have it,” Chloé snorted as if the matter was settled. “Now, what are we going to do about it?”

“ _Nothing_ ,” Adrien objected, moving in closer to address his classmates.

“Nothing?” Nino demanded incredulously. “Adrien, I’m not gonna let Lila continue to walk all over you. I’m done. I can’t take anymore.”

“Look. I have a plan, but you’re all going to have to play along, okay?” Adrien motioned for them to gather in closer.

Some remained skeptical but did as asked, hearing Adrien out and reserving judgment for later when their heads weren’t spinning.

“I just want this to be over,” Adrien explained. “Lila’s not going to magically become a better person if we all turn on her and treat her like crap. She’s only going to change when she finds that her old tactics no longer work, so what we’re going to do is pretend that nothing is wrong.”

“How is this going to help?” Chloé huffed, pursing her lips like a duck and crossing her arms sullenly.

“One, it hopefully won’t get Lila akumatized,” Adrien pointed out. “You all know she’s a manipulative liar now, so you can be on the lookout when she tries to deceive you in the future.”

“So…we what? Keep being friends with her?” Rose sought to clarify, feeling utterly lost.

Adrien nodded. “Just keep acting like nothing’s changed. Only, when she says something, take it with a grain of salt. Fact-check her. Maybe when her lies stop having the desired effect, she’ll stop lying all the time. Maybe she’ll learn that she doesn’t _have_ to lie to get people to be friends with her.”

“Maybe she’ll turn into even more of monster than she is now if we let her get away with this,” Juleka grumbled.

Adrien winced. “Maybe. You’re right. This plan could totally backfire, but I’d much rather try it and give her a chance to get her act together than back her into a corner and ensure that she becomes a monster,” he stressed, trying desperately to convince them. “There has got to be something salvageable inside of her. I don’t think she’s actually a bad person.”

Chloé snorted. “ _I_ think she’s a bad person. I’m an excellent judge of character. I can tell these things.”

“She’s definitely a bad person,” Marinette muttered, reluctantly agreeing with her rival.

“Marinette,” Adrien whined. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I am on your side,” she assured. “I don’t have to subscribe to your ideology in order to go along with your plan and support you. That menace has been threatening me and giving me grey hair for years now. I’m allowed to think she’s a bad person.”

“Hold up,” Alya growled. “She’s been _threatening_ you?”

Sadly, Marinette nodded.

“Oh, Girl,” Alya breathed mournfully as she pushed through the crowd to wrap her best friend in a fierce hug. “Marinette, why didn’t you ever say anything?”

“You believed Lila’s lies,” Marinette whispered. “You wouldn’t have believed me.”

Alya pulled back with a stricken look on her face. She opened her mouth to insist that she would have believed her best friend…but then a little tendril of doubt wriggled into her mind.

_Would_ she have believed Marinette? She was having trouble believing what _Adrien_ was telling her to be true, and she knew that Adrien had no reason to lie.

How deluded had Alya been over the years? She liked to think of herself as a good judge of character, but…she considered Lila a close friend. If all of that was a lie…what _else_ had she been missing?

It was clear that some serious reflection would be necessary once she got home that evening where she could sit and think things through.

“I’m…I’m sorry,” Alya whispered, knowing that it wasn’t enough but hoping that it was a good start.

Marinette’s lips pulled into a weak smile, and she rested a hand on Alya’s arm. “It’s…okay.” The words were difficult for her after everything she’d suffered, but she wanted to say them. She wanted to start to heal the rift between her and her best friend. “You’re a victim of Lila’s lies too.”

“Adrien, I’m pretty sure Lila is evil,” Juleka jumped in, putting them back on task as she tucked her bangs back out of her eyes.

Adrien groaned in defeat. “Okay. Fine. Maybe, but maybe she’s not, and, if she’s not, the right thing to do would be to help her realize her potential to be a good, functioning member of society, right?”

The class seemed unsure.

Nino stepped in and slid an arm supportively around Adrien’s shoulders. “Come on, guys. Adrien’s the biggest victim in all of this. Let’s do him a favor and live in his optimistic fairytale world for a bit, yeah? Happily ever after and all that.”

With a chorus of shrugs and grumbles, they all seemed to agree.

“I’m only doing this for Adrien,” Chloé loudly informed them.

“You and me both,” Marinette snorted.

“Guys, I don’t think Lila has ever had friends before,” Adrien tried to appeal to them once more. “I kind of know what that’s like, and I also know how intimidating it can be meeting new people, hoping that they’ll like you. Maybe lying was her way of trying to get people to like her, but it got completely out of control. Maybe she just needs to see that people can like her even without all the lies.”

“Or maybe she’s just evil,” Chloé hissed. “I don’t know how you can defend someone who’s put you through so much.”

“It’s because he has a truly good heart,” Marinette informed as she sidled up beside Adrien, wrapping her arms around his waist. “He’s a hero. Our Everyday Chat Noir.”

“I try,” Adrien chuckled, blushing as Marinette placed a gentle kiss on his cheek.

“Whoa!” Alya exclaimed. “Hold on! When did this happen?!”

“Last night when I found out what he’d been doing for me all this time,” Marinette hummed happily.

“Oh my gosh!” Rose trilled. “Details! Details!”

“Details later,” Adrien assured, separating from Marinette with a gulp. “Lila’s here. I’m going to go break up with her, and I need you all to act like you feel really sorry for her and to comfort her so that she doesn’t get akumatized and kill me and Marinette. Okay?”

“Oh, we’re going to comfort the tar out of her,” Juleka promised, slipping her hand into Rose’s and giving it a squeeze.

“On it!” Rose cheered. “For the sake of friendship and true love!”

“She’s not getting through us,” Alya assured, looking like she was ready to fight a pack of wild bears with her bare hands.

“Wish me luck,” Adrien sighed, striding forward to meet Lila halfway for the final showdown.

“Good luck, Man,” Nino encouraged, giving Adrien a pat on the shoulder as he passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter had a lot of tricky parts, honestly. Tom and Sabine are trying their best, and they want to be there to support Adrien, but they’re not perfect. They’ve made mistakes, and Adrien’s not sure if he can really trust them because so many adults have failed him miserably in his life.
> 
> Also, the part where Alya finds out about Lila threatening Marinette was difficult for me to find a good balance. I didn’t want it to feel too rushed, but, at the same time, it’s not the main point of the story, so I didn’t want to spend too much time on it either because it would be distracting. There’s a lot of hurt between Alya and Marinette, and that’s not something that can be solved with a quick apology. It’s going to take a lot of time and effort for them to rebuild the trust between them. I wanted to acknowledge that but also show that things were going to be okay and leave Marinette and Alya’s relationship on a hopeful note.
> 
> Another difficult part was Adrien’s plea to his classmates to go along with his plan, knowing what they now know. I know I’m probably in the minority for wanting an ending like this. From what I’ve gathered writing this story, a lot of people in the fandom want Lila literally tortured and killed, but I wrote this based on my own experiences being bullied as a way to sort of process some of my trauma in a safe fictional environment. What I wanted was my bullies to stop being awful. I wanted them to be better people and be my friends again. I’m probably really naïve, but Adrien is naïve too. We’ve seen in the show that he wants to believe in the best in people and give them the benefit of the doubt. We’ve seen him try to reform Chloé and encourage her to be better, and we’ve seen him try to understand Félix’s bad behavior and sympathize with where his cousin is coming from. Even Adrien’s canon dealings with Lila show him wanting to give her a chance to be a better person, so I think my portrayal of him here is consistent with his behavior in canon. I wanted my own situation with being bullied to be resolved peacefully and quietly, and I think Adrien would want the same thing. After you've been suffering for so long, sometimes you just want things to be over with already.
> 
> This chapter was a good challenge to write. I hope you enjoyed it. ^.^ Did you have a favourite part? I had a couple favourites like Adrien teasing Marinette about making him late, Théo Barbot canonically having random part-time jobs (like when he was running the sound system at the top of the Eiffel Tower for XY? XD), and Marinette and Ladybug not being allowed to tear people’s faces off.
> 
> Thanks for reading, everyone! I’ll see you for the final chapter on Saturday, 03/06/2021. In the meantime, leave me a comment because it will make my day. ^.^ Take care, everyone!


	9. Containment/Contentment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things turn out for the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for joining me for the final chapter. ^.^ I've really appreciated everyone who has supported and encouraged me through this. Like I've said before, this was a really personal story for me that I used to process some of my own trauma from being bullied, and your kind comments have meant a lot to me. Thank you for reading, commenting, bookmarking, and leaving kudos. <3
> 
> And now, may I present...the final chapter.
> 
> Come talk to me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).

“Lila!” Adrien called out, raising his hand in greeting. “Hey. Good morning.”

“Good Morning, My Prince!” she sang as she trotted up to meet him, leaning in for a kiss.

He caught her by the shoulders and held her back with a sheepish, “I’m sorry.”

“What are you doing?” she whispered through a pasted-on smile so that her lips didn’t move and no one would overhear.

“I’m sorry,” he repeated, loud enough so that their classmates not a stone’s throw off could make out their conversation clearly. “I need to talk to you.”

She blinked, thrown off guard by this adlibbed performance.

“When I asked you out last week, that wasn’t actually my idea. It was my father’s,” he pretended to confess, all the while looking like it pained him.

“What?” she spit tersely as she blinked again in confusion.

“My father thought it would be good publicity, since there’s been all that talk about whether or not we’re a couple over the past few years, so he told me to ask you out,” Adrien lied, having no qualms about throwing his father under the bus.

“I literally can’t say no when he tells me to do something,” Adrien explained, really selling the performance with an anguished grimace. “I’m sorry. I knew it was wrong to mislead you into thinking that I returned your feelings, but I don’t.”

“What are you doing?” Lila hissed through clenched teeth. “You can’t break up with me. We had a deal.”

“I can’t do this anymore,” Adrien pressed on. “I’m ashamed of what I did, and I hope you can forgive me someday. Just know I never meant to hurt you; that’s why I’m ending this before it can go any further.”

“I’m going to make Marinette pay for this,” Lila threatened under her breath in a last-ditch effort to exert control and keep what was happening from happening.

“I’m sorry,” Adrien reiterated, turning to go.

She stepped forward, reaching out to grab him, but the girls were on her like ravenous wolves ready to devour her down to the marrow in her bones in seconds.

Marinette and Adrien made their escape to the classroom with the guys as bodyguards as the girls descended upon Lila, pouring comfort and condolences upon her.

At first Lila was in shock and still angry at Adrien’s insolence. No one had ever defied her before, and she wasn’t about to let him get away with this.

But the girls formed a tight circle around her, blocking her path, and soon Lila gave in and basked in the sympathy and attention, reasoning that she could shred Adrien and Marinette to pieces later.

Once in the classroom, the girls herded Lila to her seat like sheepdogs, keeping themselves between Lila and Adrien and Marinette.

“I’ll sit in back with Lila,” Mylène volunteered, patting Lila’s hand. “She shouldn’t be alone today.”

All the girls agreed and promptly formulated a schedule so that Lila would never have to be alone during the coming week.

The lunch bell sounded without incident, but as they were packing up to go, Lila called out to Adrien, “Can I talk to you real quick? I just have something I need to say. I was too shocked this morning to think straight.”

Everyone exchanged looks.

“It’s okay,” Adrien assured. “Of course we can talk.”

“Provided you don’t mind if I’m there too,” Marinette cut in.

Mylène tugged on Lila’s arm. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay? We’re worried about this upsetting you. We wouldn’t want Papillon to take advantage of your emotions and akumatize you. Do you want one of us to stay behind with you?”

Lila shook her head, resting her hand on top of Mylène’s and giving it an appreciative squeeze. “No. I’ll be okay. Thank you, though, everyone. I think I can talk to Marinette and Adrien by myself.”

Reluctantly, the class filed out, leaving Marinette, Adrien, and Lila alone.

“Don’t worry,” Max whispered as some of the others started to huddle by the doors to try to listen in. He motioned them over towards the stairs. “Markov is on a secret spying mission, and he’s recording in case we need evidence later. Come over here, and we can listen in through the transceiver in case something happens and Marinette and Adrien need a rescue.”

Back in the classroom, Lila looked almost feral as she glared her nemeses down venomously, promising, “I am going to end you.”

“Why?” Adrien scoffed. “Lila, I let you be the victim. I didn’t publicly embarrass you. I didn’t even say anything bad about you to anyone.”

Lila scoffed. “Oh, besides her, you mean?”

“Knock it off, Lila,” Marinette sighed. “This is Adrien’s dad’s fault, not his. He’s the one who made Adrien deceive you and ask you out against his will. Yes, Adrien should have said no, but you and I both know how under his father’s thumb Adrien is. There’s no point in bearing Adrien a grudge.”

Lila’s left eyebrow arched quizzically. “He didn’t tell you what I did, did he?”

Marinette made a show of blinking in confusion. “What do you mean?”

Lila laughed, shaking her head. “Adrien, you’re too chivalrous. I can’t believe you actually didn’t tell anyone. You’re such a martyr.”

Marinette turned to Adrien. “What is she talking about?”

Lila snorted, delighting in revealing her scheme. “He’s been my good little puppet for years, doing what I want in order to protect you.”

Marinette feigned shock and revulsion. It wasn’t especially difficult to conjure up emotions she really had been experiencing less than twelve hours before.

“But now, he’s stopped playing along,” Lila growled, “and there’s nothing left standing in my way. I’m going to burn you to the ground, Marinette.”

Adrien reached out and grabbed Marinette’s hand, squeezing it tightly in order to comfort both himself and her.

“I’m going to ruin you, and you’ve given me the perfect excuse because now you’re the slut who stole my boyfriend.” Lila gave her hair a haughty flip as she descended the steps and started to make her way towards the classroom door. “I’m going to burn you alive and make him watch while I do it.”

Adrien pulled Marinette into his arms protectively, trembling at the thought of something happening to her and him being powerless to stop it.

“Shhh, Chaton,” Marinette cooed as Lila made her exit. “It’s going to be okay. She can’t hurt me.”

“God, I hope not,” he choked, shaken to his core. “I just feel like I’ve made the biggest mistake of my life.”

“No,” she assured, wrapping her arms around him and beginning to sway from side to side like her parents did when they comforted her. “You did what needed to be done, even though it was hard…and everything’s going to be fine because you’ve got me…and I’ve got you.”

“And all we need is love?” he chuckled even as his teeth chattered.

“You’re going to start singing, aren’t you?” she laughed.

“[All you need is love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxLaO8Xzjsk),” he did, indeed, begin to sing, performing both parts of the duet as she laughed until she couldn’t help it anymore and deigned to join him.

After their duet, they headed over to the bakery to eat a nice, cozy lunch in peace.

Meanwhile, outside the classroom, their classmates descended upon Lila.

“Are you okay?” Rose demanded tearfully as streams of liquid betrayal trickled down her cheeks.

“That must have been awful,” Alix threw in in an attempt to fulfill her mission.

“Oh, it was,” Lila assured, raising her arm up to her forehead in a show of wooziness. “I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the day.”

“We’re here for you,” Mylène promised, voice shaky in her shock.

“Yeah, and I think we need to continue to be there for Lila,” Alya asserted, brow furrowed in three deep, parallel trenches as she funneled half of her mental energy into containment plans for Lila to keep her the hell away from Marinette and Adrien.

“I don’t think Lila should be by herself tonight. I think we need to have a sleepover,” Alya declared, and the rest of their classmates nodded in agreement.

Lila blinked. “A sleepover? On a Monday? I don’t think any of our parents would allow that.”

Juleka raised her hand. “My mom won’t care if we party until dawn.”

“The Capitaine would happily out-party all of us,” Rose chuckled, her tears beginning to dry a bit at the thought.

“Yeah, and my brother is off limits, but he’s got some hot friends,” Juleka informed. “If you like university guys…. I mean, at least I think they’re considered ‘hot’. I can’t really tell personally.”

“It’s settled, then. Party on the Liberty,” Alix announced, looping her arm through Lila’s and escorting her towards the cafeteria and away from Adrien and Marinette.

Things…were not going as planned.

Lila bided her time for two weeks, eating up the sympathy from the rest of her classmates and not trying to exact her revenge lest anyone catch on and suspect her. Then, once enough time had passed, she began her smear campaign against Marinette.

It was odd. No one seemed receptive to the rumors she tried to start by passing them off as something she overheard.

She tried to tell Aurore about how she was worried about Adrien—because of course she still loved him and wanted him to be happy because Lila was just a wonderful person like that. She tried to tell Aurore about how she’d overheard that Marinette was actually sugar dating several older men and only using Adrien for his fame, money, and influence.

Aurore gave her an odd look and told her gently that she shouldn’t believe everything she heard.

Mireille joined in, adding that no one actually believed those malicious rumors going around about Marinette and that the school was going to find out who had been spreading those lies and hold them accountable, so it was best if Lila didn’t help to spread around the gossip.

Lila made several other attempts, feigning concern for either Adrien or her dear friend Marinette whom she forgave for scheming against her and stealing her boyfriend…to no avail.

People kept deflecting her, telling her she was mistaken or that her information was wrong.

It was infuriating.

She was foiled at every step without Marinette or Adrien having to lift a finger.

It wasn’t just her rumor mongering schemes either. Whenever she set a trap, it was like someone was following behind her and disarming it. On top of that, she couldn’t seem to get Adrien or Marinette alone to put a plot into action because there were always people around or walking in at inopportune times.

To make matters worse, Adrien stopped modeling with her.

At work, Adrien had informed his father that he didn’t feel comfortable posing with his ex-girlfriend and that he didn’t want to make Lila uncomfortable what with the way things ended, so she no longer got to be in advertisements beside him. She tried to take it up with Gabriel, but she suddenly found that her pull with him had all but evaporated.

It felt like it was all slipping through her fingers, and she couldn’t pinpoint where exactly she’d gone wrong. It was as if a secret organization was scheming against her from the shadows, but when she looked over her shoulder, no one was there.

She kept waiting for a black butterfly to come to take advantage of her pent-up anger, resentment, and frustration so that she could finally take her revenge on Adrien and Marinette…but Papillon’s harbinger never appeared.

One day several months later, Adrien caught her as she was leaving the studio for the night.

“Hey. If you’re not busy later, most of the class is meeting up on the Liberty for a free-throw competition between Kim, Luka, Alix, and me. You should drop by. Seven o’clock,” he informed and then walked off like nothing had happened.

It was bizarre and unsettling.

Lila did not like always being thrown off her guard, but it seemed to be happening constantly nowadays.

No matter. She’d be starting university that fall, and there would be ample opportunity to remake herself exactly as she desired. She’d be back in control.

…Still…it wouldn’t hurt to make an appearance at the Liberty later. She was finding that she kind of enjoyed just hanging out with her classmates without all the added fuss of having to maintain her lies and enact her schemes. It was sort of nice not having to keep up the act.

Meanwhile, Adrien and Marinette were busy living out their own version of happily ever after with romantic picnics at the top of the Eiffel Tower, Disney singalong night, baking lessons, fencing lessons, and rooftop games of tag as well as the simple pleasures like snuggling, kissing, and holding hands.

The Lila problem kind of anticlimactically fizzled out with no fuss, no akumatization, just quiet resolution. But that was for the best because they had far more important things to worry about like the fact that their dream weddings weren’t exactly meshing.

“Can we maybe hold the reception on a beach?” Adrien suggested, trying to compromise.

Marinette pursed her lips. “I think it’ll be too cool for a beach in April.”

“Can’t we have a summer wedding?” he pouted.

Marinette scrunched up her nose. “I always imagined it in April. The colours and flowers I picked out work best in April, and I don’t think my dress will work for a summer wedding with a beach reception.”

“They do realize that they’re eighteen, don’t they?” Plagg groaned at Tikki. “They’re not allowed to get married for at _least_ another five years.”

Tikki hummed softly, enjoying the back and forth of their holders. “They’re probably going to be having conversations like this up until the day of the wedding, so you’d better get used to it.”

“Oh, for the love of…” Plagg flew up and kicked Adrien in the arm. “Hey! Stop arguing. Kiss and make up already, and then get me some cheese.”

Adrien was more than happy to oblige, leaning in to kiss Marinette with a smirk. “This is my favourite conflict resolution strategy.”

“Mine too,” she chuckled, happily accepting the kiss.

Adrien arched an eyebrow as they pulled back. “You don’t use that strategy with anyone else, do you?”

“Just Chat Noir,” she assured, snickering.

“Oh. Okay, then. That’s all right. He’s very good-looking. I’d kiss him too.” Adrien smirked and got a playful hand in his face for his troubles.

“Narcissistic dork,” she snorted, shaking her head and grinning from ear to ear.

“Guilty,” he purred.

The

End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it. ^.^ The end. I hope you enjoyed the story. Thank you again for taking this ride with me and supporting me throughout the process.
> 
> If you feel up to some Marichat fluff and snuggling, I just released [Choice and Chance](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29885790) today too. It's a quick little one-shot where Marinette and Chat debate the existence of soulmates.
> 
> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/) so that you can wish me a happy birthday on March tenth. ^w^ <3
> 
> Take care, everyone. Thank you for reading. ^.^
> 
> References:  
> Elephant Love Medley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxLaO8Xzjsk

**Author's Note:**

> Come follow me on [Tumblr](https://mikauzoran.tumblr.com/).


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